EverClear
by Chandler1200
Summary: It's been almost 5 years since that terrible day in the woods. Bella and Edward have both struggled with the devestating aftermath of their last conversation. Both have found solice in music, only in ways neither could have imagined.
1. Chapter 1Atlanta Fucking Georgia?

Chapter 1-Atlanta fucking Georgia?

EPOV

"Edward, I know you can hear me. Take the damn ear buds out of your head."

I knew resistance was futile at this point; the pixie was stalking her way towards the door to my room. My right hand pinched the bridge of my nose as my left had pulled the small speakers from my ears. The screeching guitars and the wailing piano could still be heard as they hung limply in my hands. At this particular volume, even human ears could have heard the music spilling from my hands.

Human ears.

I shuddered and gasped just as the door flew open. My sister stood perfectly still as she took in my pose.

"You did it again didn't you?" The anger and sarcasm that had colored her internal yelling just moments before were instantly gone and her eyes were filled with an emotion I had become all too familiar with over the last almost 5 years.

Almost 5 years. The shudder gripped me again.

At once, my sister's tiny arms closed around me and she pulled my body toward hers. She gently rocked us back and forth and her hand rubbed nonsensical patterns over my back.

"Edward, I swear you are the first vampire in history to give himself panic attacks. I'm sorry I didn't see this one coming. You were going to be difficult about what I was coming to talk to you about and then…"

"Alice, I am not having a panic attack, I was just thinking." I knew I was lying and so did she. What the fuck was it if not a panic attack? My muscles were locked down, my breathing was erratic and I was shivering convulsively. If I were human, I would have been sweating profusely. If I were human…

"Stop that Edward. Look at me." Her eyes bore into mine and I could hear the unvocalized concern in her head. Of all my family, Alice got it. She understood why I did this.

"Brother dear, I love you. We all love you. And we all understand." The look on her face broke my heart and endeared her to me at the same exact time.

"I know you do, although I'm not sure everyone understands." I tried to give her a grin, although from what I heard in her head, I think the expression may have more closely resembled someone with severe heartburn.

"Psh, we all know Rose is a bitch, but even she knows where it comes from. And even the bitch loves you."

The smile was more genuine now. Only my fierce elf of a sister could get away with calling Rose a bitch and not have to watch her back for the next week.

I blew out the unnecessary breath and my muscles relaxed a little. Alice was only one of two people in the world that could get me to relax.

"Ok, so what am I going to be difficult about?" Curiosity had always been a weakness of mine. Curiosity is what had lead me to… damn it, don't go there.

"Stop. You are giving me a freaking headache doing that. So here's the thing. We're going to Atlanta. All of us." The blinding smile she leveled at me was nothing short of a shit eating grin.

Apparently the look on my face shifted to anger, because Alice pulled back slightly from her embrace and cocked one eyebrow at me.

"And exactly why are you all going to Atlanta?"

"We are **all** going for several reasons. Carlisle has been invited to a medical conference and Rose wants to do some serious southern belle shopping. But the rest of us are going with you."

"And what, pray tell, are you going to do with me in Atlanta fucking Georgia?" I knew the words came out more harshly than she deserved, but the Deep South was not exactly high on my list of priorities for early September. Not that anything had been very high on my list of priorities for the last several years.

Her smirk was a little to knowing, but the words out of her mouth stunned me into silence.

"We, sweet brother, are going with you to see Everclear."

For the first time in I don't really know how long, my smile was genuine.


	2. Chapter 2Where Exactly Are We?

Chapter 2-Exactly where are we?

BPOV

"Chip, is this really necessary?" I asked knowing that A-it wasn't necessary on anyone's list and B that is was ridiculous to try and talk him out of it. The large stacks of Polaroids of various outfits were laid out on the small table in front of us. Chip was my Hollywood movie version of the gay best friend. His round face and rounder middle were covered in what I could only assume were designer fabrics. His round glasses were perched on his nose like an evil school teacher. The graying flat top hair do was just slightly thinning and there was not a single hair out of place. His hip was thrust out so far that I feared he might have hurt himself in the effort to be dramatic and his hand was balled up into a fist that had settled neatly into the crook of his waist. He looked completely ridiculous and I loved everything about him.

"Little girl, anything I tell you to do in the name of fashion is necessary. Please, sistuh. For God's sakes, you still sleep in that nasty ass tee shirt that I have tried to burn 100 times. If I cannot teach you to look good on your own time, then you will damn sure be made to look good on my time." His words might have been offensive if not for the glowing smile on his face. Chip loved me and I knew it.

"Ok, ok. But please don't do anything stupid like stilettos."

"You know I'm going to so just shut the fuck up now and deal. I swear, you'd think after 4 years you'd learn to trust me already."

"Caius" I knew the use of his hated proper name would get him going. "I trust you, but I don't trust me, you know that one that can trip on air or fall over a single blade of grass."

"Baby, on that stage, you are not you. You are Bella Swan, mistress of all things metal. You refuse to watch any of the tapes, but honey you strut your stuff around that stage like nobody's business. Why do you think the crowds go so crazy? Quiet shy virginal bookworm Bella is left on the side of the stage. Your wardrobe has to leave her behind too. Marcus and I have told you a thousand times, Everclear is the hottest thing on the circuit right now and you are Everclear."

"I'm sure JP and the guys would love to hear you say that, not to mention Jane." I rolled my eyes as I looked out the window of the bus that was pulling into the circular drive of the hotel. The sign out front proclaimed their arrival at the Waverly.

"Where exactly are we?"

"You really are clueless. We are in Atlanta. You are here for the next 5 days to play Blood Lust. Why else do you think that we are going to do the wardrobe from hell as soon as we get everyone checked in?"

The sigh was useless, but it felt better. If I really thought about my life, I would probably run through the side of the bus, a la Wile E Coyote, and flee screaming through the streets. How in the hell did I, Bella Swan, end up singing in a band?

On cue, my chest tightened and my heart beat picked up.

I knew exactly where my current life had come from. The burning hole in my chest paid homage to its beginnings every time I let my thoughts stray down that path.

The white house at the end of the miles long drive, empty and cold and devoid of life.

The broken window from the box of cash thrown in anger at his gesture.

The piano covered in a white sheet.

"Bella, Bella? Baby breath. Don't do this right now." Chip's voice sounded far away. The only thing that didn't feel distant was the gushing of blood in my ears and the searing pain in my chest. My arms were locked in a death grip around my chest and I could feel hot tears trailing down here cheeks.

"Marcus, get your ass over here." Chip was yelling over his shoulder.

A cool cloth was against my forehead and I could feel Chip's hands on my cheeks.

"Come on baby, don't do this. Let's get inside and get you up to the room. Then you can have a panic attack if you need to."

The smart ass comment delivered in such a caring voice broke through the rushing blood in my ears and I blinked rapidly. My body hurt and burned, but it moved.

"Marcus, help her up sweetheart." Chip cooed to his partner. Marcus was 10 years younger than Chip with dark hair that flowed to his shoulders and olive skin. He could not have been more opposite in every way from the round man that he had lived the better part of 20 years with. But he loved me too, and it was always Marcus that managed to get me standing again after one of the attacks.

"God, she looks like hell. Hand me the Gucci glasses out of my bag. At least we can hide the eyes from the world. No sense in fueling the strung out rock star theory." Marcus called over his shoulder.

Against my will, I snorted. But snorting was better than anything else at this particular point.

"Ok sweetie, just step down. I've got you. We'll get checked in and then you can go lie down for a while. I'll help the queen get your wardrobe ready."

A small but real smile spread across my face at the term of endearment that Marcus always used for Chip. As he wrapped an arm around my waist, I supposed that to anyone looking at us, Marcus and I appeared to be a couple. But that was by design. If I looked unavailable, I was less likely to have people approach me. As we stepped into the large lobby of the Waverly, I could see the enormous glass elevator directly in front of us. The ridiculously large check out desk was to the left and the entrance to a bar of some sorts was to the right. As Chip stood at one end of the polished wood counter checking us in, Marcus and I stood at the opposite end of the counter. We didn't speak, but his hand was gently rubbing my neck in an effort to keep me calm. There was a large crystal paperweight in the shape of an apple beside a large peace lily on the desk,

"**Edible art**?" the voice echoed in my mind and my chest tightened.

As if on their own accord, my hands reached for the paperweight and I picked it up. The rounded glass distorted the image of everything as I held it up and looked around the lobby of the hotel through it. I was so distracted by my little game, that I did not register Chip informing the hostess that he was here to check in the reservation for Mr. and Mrs. Marcus and for Marie Cullen.

Marcus urged me away from the desk with his shoulder and started toward the elevator. As I placed the paperweight back on the desk, I caught the tail end of Chip's rant.

"I swear Marcus; if I ever got the chance I would scratch his damn eyes out, venom or no venom."


	3. Chapter 3Edward Listens to Metal?

Chapter 3- Edward listens to metal?

EPOV

"So what's so special about EverClear that it managed to lure you away from the house?" Emmett laughed from the passenger side of the Volvo. I had known it was stupid to keep the car, but I had not been able to make myself to get rid of it. Her scent had lingered for years before it had finally faded. If I allowed myself, I could see her curled into the seat after that night in Port Angeles. But I couldn't allow it. Not without breaking down.

"I'll tell you what it special about them if you tell me why in the hell we are driving to Atlanta instead of flying?" Sarcasm was better than anything else and I really didn't know if I could answer the question he was asking.

"Simple asswipe, I don't like to fly."

"You fucking liar," Alice's shrill voice laughed from the back seat. I glanced in the mirror to see her and Jasper tucked around each other and winced. "Emmett has this bizarre idea that we can play the Grizwalds and he wants to take his trip to Wally World."

Laughter erupted from all sides. My giant hulking brother shrank into his heat and looked out the window, muttering something to his self about the "fucking seer".

It felt good to laugh. I could not remember when I had laughed without forcing it. There were a lot of things that I hadn't been able do naturally in a long time. The part of me that was capable of laughing, smiling, hoping or loving died 4 years 11 months and 28 days ago. In the forest behind Charlie Swan's home, I left a large piece of myself. And even if I could have reclaimed it, I didn't want it without her.

"So what is it about this band, dude? I didn't think your cultured sensibilities would tolerate anything like heavy metal." Clearly, Emmett was trying to divert attention away from his Grizwald obsession. I guess since I was driving, that would make me Clark.

"I don't know if I can explain it. The songs kind of speak to me."

Emmett's snort was loud enough to startle the deer on the side of the highway. "How the fuck do you ever pass yourself off as a teenager, bro?"

"You asked. Seriously, the lyrics are intense. The songs all seem to be saying what I can't put into words. The lead singer's voice is haunting and direct and powerful. And there is an incredible amount of piano in the songs." I hoped that he would leave it at that, but of course I hadn't counted on the peanut gallery in the back seat.

"Edward, listening to metal? How did you even find this band? It's not like you ever leave the house, so it couldn't be word of mouth." I knew Jasper was trying to kid with me, but what he said was the truth and I tensed without even being conscious of the action. I felt a wave of relaxation wash over me as I caught Alice's eyes in the mirror. I nodded my thanks to her for helping to keep the attack at bay.

"Itunes"

Again, I caught Alice's eyes. Only she knew exactly why that was significant. As I was supposed to be packing to leave Forks, I had broken down. And a vampiric emotional breakdown is rather destructive. I don't really remember exactly what happened, but when I felt Carlisle's arms restraining my own, more than a third of the music collection I had spent a century acquiring had been destroyed. One week later, Alice presented me with an Ipod and laptop. She had felt bad that she hadn't seen my outburst and she wanted to try and help me rebuild. It was one of the most caring and most meaningful things anyone in my family had ever done for me. She told me that music would bring back my sanity in the end and she wanted to make sure I had what I needed to start that journey.

"So…." Emmett began. "Tell me more, what do they look like. Are you really into a band that sports long hair, multiple tattoos and nose rings now?"

"**No one too scary then**."

"**What do you mean by scary? Someone with multiple facial piercings and extensive tattoos**?"

"**That's one definition, I suppose**."

"**What's your definition**?"

My heart hurt as the beautiful voice repeated the conversation we had sitting in this very car out front of her house the day she fainted in Biology. Emmett's teasing was forgotten in the wake of her memory.

Laughter erupted as Jasper pictured **me** dressed as the tattooed band member. His loud guffaws had broken my train of thought, mercifully. His hysterical laughter quickly washed through the car and engulfed everyone else.

"I don't know. I've never seen a picture of the band. Apparently the lead singer is very privacy oriented and doesn't do much in the way of interviews. She refuses to mention herself by name on the rare occasions that the band does talk. She is always referred to as the "lead singer for EverClear". She won't allow anything more specific. The only thing anyone **is** allowed to say is that she is about 5'5, pretty and has brown hair down to her waist. She is apparently very new to the music scene. She's only been playing for something like 4 years, but she's extremely talented."

I didn't miss the eyes being cut from my siblings toward each other.

What I couldn't say to them was that every syllable that came out of the girl's mouth reminded me of my Bella. The tone and tenor and cadence of the songs rang through me with absolute joy because it all reminded me of my love. The stories told in each and every song seemed to be written specifically about us or our time together or our time apart. The lyrics were devastating. They were all about pain and longing and need. This girl had been hurt. Badly. Only someone intimately familiar with pain could write the songs she did. I had often thought that she was the first person, author or poet or lyricist I had ever come across that grieved for her lover on the same plane that I did. The first time I heard one of their songs, I had nearly lost my grip on reality.

The title of the song was "My Immortal" and as if that wasn't enough to bring me to my knees, the lyrics were. They spoke of longing and pain. Pain that could not be overcome by time or distance. The lyrics recalled the loss of one's own mind as a result of separation. The song spoke with such clarity and exactness. I had thought on more than one occasion while listening to the song that it seemed the perfect vehicle in which to describe the loss of my angel.

I was instantly hooked. The fact that the song was for the most part accompanied by the piano sealed the deal. I downloaded every song I could find. It was only a single album, but I had listened to it thousands of times. I had given in to Alice for this trip simply because the band's second album was soon to be released and the couple of songs I had been able to find were every bit as captivating as the first album had been. I sincerely hoped that the show would include a few more of the new songs.

"So where are we staying?" I hadn't been to Atlanta in at least 25 years and I didn't really know much about the city anymore.

"The Waverly," Alice chirped. "It's not quite the 5 star that your snobby butt is used to, but it's very close to Blood Lust".

"Blood what?" I could not have heard her correctly, impossible as that may have been.

"Blood Lust is the name of the club EverClear is playing. Atlanta has developed quite the music scene over the last decade or so. There are half a dozen places with live music within a few blocks. There's everything from jazz clubs to a New Orleans style place. I fully intend to make you go to at least 3 different places while I have you out." Alice's enthusiasm was contagious.

"Well we should be into Atlanta before the sun rises tomorrow morning, so I suggest we find somewhere to hunt before then. I haven't been here in a while, but I'm guessing that the wildlife inside the city limits is not going to be very appetizing."

I looked into the mirror again to confirm with Alice, but her eyes were glazed over and completely blank. At the same moment, her vision wormed its way into my head. She was standing in what was obviously a bar talking to a very human man. He was round and had a gray flat top, but he was dressed to the nines. The two of them looked to an upper balcony at the same time and I caught a glimpse of myself as I stared wide eyed at some unknown threat. The look on my face was shocking. My eyes were as black as I could ever remember them being and my mouth was slightly open. My hands were curled around a metal banister so tightly that the metal was beginning to give way. I could see my brothers standing behind me with similar, if not quite as intense, looks on their faces. And then the vision went black.

"Who is he?" I strangled out.

"I have no idea, but he's wearing Prada, so he has to be ok." Her tone was much lighter than mine. I could not fathom what would have put such a stunned look on my face, but she seemed almost smug in her indifference.

"Alice, don't play with me please. Do you know the guy or what I was supposed to be staring at?"

"Edward, you saw exactly what I saw. I don't know what it means or who he is, but you didn't pick up on any type of danger in my vision, did you? Em and Jazz were apparently seeing the same thing and no one was crouched or snarling, just surprised. I don't understand what it means, but I am not worried about it. Maybe it just means that I am going to meet a new connection for Prada."

Her smile did not put my mind at ease.

"So, no stopping at the world's largest ball of twine huh?" Emmett asked, clearly trying to diffuse the tension.

"I so understand why your wife decided to fly out with Carlisle and Esme, you ass." Even I couldn't help but laugh at the disgust etched Jasper's face.

"So are you going to let us listen to any of the songs before we actually get into Georgia?" Emmett griped.

I still didn't think Alice's vision meant as little as she did, but I was at a loss to understand what it meant. So before I drove myself insane, I plugged in my Ipod and turned up the volume as loud as possible. The opening bars of the first song on my play list instantly relaxed me.


	4. Chapter 4Thank God for Mini Bars

**A/N: Ok, boys and girls, we are going to start earning our rating in this chapter. If you're not really into that sort of thing, just skip to the last paragraph. It will tell you enough for you to get the gist of things without the graphic description. **

**I will tell you, I didn't write this chapter this way just to throw in some gratuitous smut. I want you guys to get a feel for Bella's emotional state at this point. So, it does actually serve a purpose.**

**To everyone that has left a review: I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to get them. It truly made my day to see them waiting in my In Box. I would love it if more people would do the same. Good, bad, ugly and indifferent…I want to hear it all.**

**Enough said, on with the show.**

Chapter 4-Thank God for the Mini Bar

BPOV

The tiny bed back in Forks was warm and cozy despite the icy figure that lay beneath the old quilt with me. His arms were circled around me and my head was on his chest. To anyone else, it might appear that he was asleep. Of course, that was impossible.

I sighed and shifted myself so that I could look into his eyes. Buttery gold burned back at me and I was, even in my dream state, dazzled. Those eyes burned with love and passion and lust as they looked at me.

His marble lips lightly brushed the tip of my nose and my eyes closed involuntarily. The electric pulse rushed through my body even at this lightest of touches. He slowly skimmed his nose down my cheek until his lips were hovering millimeters away from mine and he stared directly into my eyes.

The arms that had so recently been wrapped around my shoulder had moved when I did. His right arm was still wrapped around my shoulders; only the fingers of his hand were now gripping me and pulling me toward him. His left hand was tracing my collarbone with the arctic touch that never failed to set my core on fire. His hand moved across my chest and came to rest on my breast. The skilled fingers of my piano maestro circled my nipple so lightly that his touch barely registered. It was enough. Enough to make my nipples instantly hard enough to cut glass.

As his touch became more defined, his head bowed even more and I felt his tongue lick a path toward his fingers. His hand cupped my breast and raised it slightly just as his mouth reached its destination. I shuddered as his mouth closed over my nipple and the liquid fire between my legs pooled in the panties that I wore.

As he sucked and nipped at my nipple, his right arm urging me still closer to his body, his left hand traced a path over my side, down my waist and onto my hip. His fingers kneaded the skin above my hip bone for just a second before his hand slipped to my ass. His fingers dug into the skin as he gripped me and pulled my body fully against his. I could feel his erection against my stomach and I groaned in need.

He released my cheek and trailed those perfect fingers down the back of my thigh to my knee. He curled his fingers into the skin and in a split second, he hitched my leg over his own hip. I was opened to him and I could feel the pulse of cold that radiated from his own body. The sensation was maddening. Burning fire meeting the blasts of cold only furthered my arousal. I was so wet that I could feel my own fluids sliding down my leg.

His fingers traced back up toward my rear but detoured at the last second and made their way toward my aching and now soaking wet crotch. I could feel his hands skimming the thin cotton material and his mouth has yet to cease its ministrations on my nipple. The prolonged attention should have made me sore, but the cold of his mouth and tongue did not allow it.

His fingers slid expertly along the edge of my panties. Only a few maddening seconds later, he tugged the side of the fabric to the side. The back of his hands ghosted across the coarse hair between my legs with just enough friction to drive me absolutely insane. My body tensed as I felt his finger slowly slide between my lips towards my core.

Just as his finger was finally about to enter me……I woke up.

I looked over at the clock on the nightstand and groaned when I saw that it was only 2:30am. At least this had not been an actual nightmare. The dreams were always one of two things. At least tonight's had some redeeming qualities.

Of course, I also was alone in a bed at the Waverly and now my panties were absolutely sopping wet. As I lay there, the ache in my chest seemed to ease somewhat. My Edward dreams were polar opposites. This one let me wake up with a sense of need and want. This dream didn't hurt quite so much. Maybe it was because this was only a dream. My real Edward would never have taken our physical relationship so far. This was my mind and my body wishing for him. My Edward in this dream never spoke and for that I was grateful. I think my own fucked up brain recognized that if he did, the dream would cease to be pleasurable and become painful.

"Shit". It was the only thing appropriate for what I felt as I lay in this oversized bed. I knew the only way to go back to sleep anytime soon would be to "take care" of my current state of arousal. But I just felt so stupid masturbating. Chip had bought me a vibrator, which made me blush a shade that I didn't think was found in nature, but I had only tried to use it a couple of times. I didn't really see what the big deal was. It felt totally wrong.

The comforter on this bed was extremely heavy as I threw it to the side. I didn't want the lights on. That would alert Chip to the fact that I was awake. It had only been recently that he had stopped putting the baby monitor in my room at nights. The nightmares had been so frequent for a while that he wanted to know when they were happening so that he or Marcus could try to wake me up before the screaming started. The screaming always lead to a panic attack. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Sometimes the nightmare occurred multiple times in a single night, and each time I awoke the reaction was more hysterical. The panic attacks had been getting so frequent that Chip had wanted to have a doctor put me on medication for a while. I had refused somewhat adamantly after I did some research, but I did get a song out of the whole experience. "Lithium" would be on the next album.

But I felt ridiculous as a 23 year old sleeping with a monitor in my room, so I had promised to turn the light on if I woke up. Chip and Marcus always had the room adjoined to mine when we toured, so the light would tell them if anything was happening.

I fumbled my way across the room to the mini bar. A sip of water and a change of underpants and maybe I could get back to sleep. Sound check was scheduled for 1:30 tomorrow afternoon and then the first of three shows was set to start at 10. That left a lot of free time and tomorrow night would be long. Sleep was going to be necessary, regardless of how elusive it might want to be.

This was one of the things about touring I did actually like. I loved the time on the road with the guys and I loved hotel mini bars. Not that I ever actually drank any of the wine or beer. But I loved the instant gratification snacks. Different hotels had different ideas of what was acceptable to offer its guests. Snickers bars and peanut M&Ms were in almost every selection, as was bottled water and soda. But sometimes I would get surprises. Trail mix in Phoenix that had chocolate chips in it. A can of deviled ham and crackers in Houston that I had not been brave enough to try once I opened the can. It looked and smelled suspiciously like cat food and I could not force myself to take even the smallest bite. Pickled peaches in Fargo had been one of the oddest. I didn't even know you could pickle a peach. They were surprisingly good though.

I loved the mini bars that had small freezers attached. I had never been much of an ice cream kind of girl until we went out on the road. The first time I opened the door to discover a Klondike bar and a small container of Ben & Jerry's waiting to be devoured, I fell in love. And apparently the Waverly agreed with me. There was the small but distinct door that promised frozen treats to those willing to pay an outrageous amount for such delights. I was willing to pay for my small reprieve from the dreams.

I opened the door and sure enough, there was the Crunch bar, the regular Snickers that was now frozen solid (just how the hell did you bite into one of these without needing to see a dentist immediately afterward) and two single yellow popsicles, the wrapper of which proclaimed them to be banana. I grabbed one of the popsicles and a bottle of water and headed back to the bed. I grabbed one of the pillows that I had kicked away at some point during the night and laid it over the black air conditioner under the window. I turned the knob on full blast and threw myself back into the bed, almost as if a demon was chasing me.

"Fucking pathetic Swan" I muttered to myself as I tore the paper from the frozen ice that was my company for the evening. The unnatural yellow coloring of the ice glinted in the moonlight that streamed into the room. I knew exactly what I was doing with the pillow and I wanted to hate myself for it. I had discovered that particular trick shortly after that terrible….no don't go there. This is a good dream night, don't ruin it.

Wrapped up in my own inner musings, I did not realize that the Popsicle had already begun to melt. I felt the syrupy liquid slide down over my hand and realized that I was not going to be able to lick the flavoring from my hand quickly enough to avoid making a mess. The ice cold drop fell directly onto the center of my still wet panties and my entire body froze.

This was wrong to even be thinking. That should not have felt good and I should not want it to happen again. But even as the thought completed itself in my head, my hand tilted slightly to allow a couple more drips to land in the same area.

"Fuck it. I'll feel bad about it later"

As my back fell against the pillow and my head tilted against the headboard, my knees separated and spread themselves almost of their own accord. I would absolutely hate myself in the morning if I did this. But I would hate everyone else if I didn't get some sleep and that wasn't happening now that this twisted thought had found its way into my head. I wanted my dream back. I wanted to feel, just for a little while, that he wanted me and loved me the way I loved him. It was pathetic, but such was my life.

With my left hand I pushed my panties down my thighs until they reached the bend in my knees and gravity pulled them to my ankles. My eyes closed and I recalled my dream from just a few minutes ago. His hand had been just about to enter me, as it always was when I woke up. He was so gentle and slow. I felt the Popsicle sliding down my stomach and the goose bumps formed instantly. It was so reminiscent of the response I had always had to his touch that I shivered.

Could I really do this?

Yeah, I could.

My dream Edward was nuzzling my neck with my leg still hitched around his hip. His cold fingers slid lightly along my outer lips and I was instantly on fire. He gently separated me and stroked me up and down. His finger circled my clit several times, causing me gasp and shudder. Slowly, he worked his way back down towards my core.

My back arched as he slid his finger into me. The icy cold should not have been able to produce the fire that now burned in my stomach, but it did. His finger began a steady in and out motion that seemed to fan the flames in my stomach even higher. Over and over he pumped his finger into me, adding a second and then a third as my hips pushed into him. His mouth never left my neck or breast and his pace never wavered. In and out, he pushed over and over and over. The tension in my belly was moving rapidly downward and I knew that it was only a matter of seconds before I found the release I so desperately needed.

"Edward" I sighed and even to me, my voice sounded horse and deep.

The fire overtook my body at that moment. My back arched further into him and my legs shook with the force of my orgasm. His fingers never stopped, even as I clenched myself around him. For several blissful seconds, I lay there reveling in the feeling.

I opened my eyes; half expecting to see him staring back at me. But oh no. Not in my life. Instead there was a now bare wooden stick in my hand and a rather large wet spot in the sheets of my bed. The yellow dye of the Popsicle on the sheets looked alarmingly like urine.

"Fan-fucking-tastic. Not only am I a freak of nature, but now the housekeeper will think I am incontinent as well." I bitched to no one except myself.

I threw myself out of the bed again and stumbled to the bathroom. After a few moments with a wet wash cloth and a fresh pair of panties I made my way back to the bed. Obviously, I would be sleeping on the opposite side the rest of the night. I stared at the pillow lying atop the air conditioner unit. Maybe Chip was right. Maybe I did need to see a doctor of some sort. I really was ridiculous in my continued obsession.

I turned the knob of the A/C to the off position and grabbed the now icy pillow. I curled into the bed and wrapped my upper body around the frigid pillow, hugging it to myself. It wasn't nearly as good as the real thing. But at 3:30 in the morning after a self induced orgasm with a Popsicle, I could almost fool myself into thinking that I was curling up on his chest and that he did still love me.

It was all I had left of Edward, and it would have to be enough. I felt the tears sliding down my cheeks as I drifted back to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5Paperweights

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that left me a review. I love to hear what you guys think so far.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own any of the Twilight universe. Sigh. Also, don't own any of the music referenced in this chapter. **

**Playlist for this chapter:**

**Bring Me to Life-Evanescence**

**Call Me When Your Sober-Evanescence**

**Taking Over Me-Evanescence**

Chapter 5-Paperweights

EPOV

I pulled into the circular drive of the Waverly at 3:08 am. We had stopped about an hour outside the city for a quick hunt, but I was anxious to get back on the road. For the last 5 hours, we'd listened to my Everclear playlist and I was anxious to get somewhere where I could give in to the emotions that swirled in my head.

Emmett had developed a particular fondness for "Call Me When Your Sober". The song was about a cad that called this girl only for drunken booty calls. He thought it was hysterical, but I thought it was sad. The song was angry and hurtful. This girl obviously cared for the drunk in question, but was standing her ground against being used. The piano in the song was powerful and raw, as it was in most of the songs. The vocals were incredible though. This girl's range was startling, especially given her brevity in the music world.

Alice loved "Bring Me to Life" and I have to say, I fully agreed with her. It was one of my favorites also. The song was a duet with the band's bass player, so there was a very innovative back and forth banter between the two. There was a raw energy that burst out of the song from the very first note. The song started rather slowly and picked up its pace until it climaxed with a staggering amount of force as the two singers screamed at each other about the pain they had caused each other.

"Taking Over Me" was my favorite, but I didn't really want to let anyone know why. The song's chorus filled me with the hope of forgiveness.

**I believe in you. **

**I'll give up everything just to find you. **

**I have to be with you.**

**To live. **

**To breath.**

**You're taking over me**.

Forgiveness and want. The two things that I was doomed to long for for all eternity. I needed her every single day of my life and I could never again have her. But when I listened to the song, I could let myself dream. If this girl in the band could write such a beautiful song about reuniting with the one that had hurt her so deeply, maybe somewhere in Bella's heart she could forgive me one day. I would never know when or even if that day came, but I could hope that one day it would.

I had tried to find her 4 different times over the last 5 years. The first time, I went back to Forks for the graduation ceremony. I just wanted a glimpse of her. I stood in the woods behind the high school and watched as the graduates lined up, but I never saw her. I heard them call her name out, but she never came to claim her diploma. Several of the thoughts in the crowd pictured her at that moment in a black dress standing beside a casket with tears flowing from her eyes. It was at that moment that I realized Charlie had died. He had been killed in the line of duty. It was a recent event, so I assumed Bella had stayed in Forks long enough to finish high school and then returned to Florida with her mother.

I left my perch in the trees and ran to the house that held my best memories and found it dark. The realty company that had been hired to sell the house had placed a "For Sale" sign in the front yard. I peeked into the window to see that the house's contents had not been removed.

I bought the house the same day. I offered the realty company twice the asking price if they would leave the contents inside the house. I knew who Charlie's beneficiary would be, and I also knew this was one of the only things I would ever be able to do for her. She would have been livid if she knew it was me, but I couldn't let the house go to someone else. My entire life's happiness was wrapped up in those walls and I needed to hold on to some part of it.

I had only entered the house once, and that was just long enough to pry the floor board from its hiding place beneath Bella's bed. Her birthday presents and pictures were still there. She had never found them. She had never known that I had left a part of myself with her. Or maybe she had and she just didn't want any reminders of me. I took the pictures of the two of us and left everything else in its hiding place.

My other 3 attempts had not been so direct. Jay Jenks, our rather shady attorney in Seattle, had done some investigations into where she had gone. But her trail was silent. No college acceptances, no credit cards, no nothing. She had disappeared as completely as we did. I have to admit, she did a much better job of dropping out of sight than I thought she could. Coupled with her complete absence from Alice's visions and she had almost ceased to exist for me.

I had demanded after we left that Alice not look into her future. I knew it was an unfair demand even when I made it. Alice could no more control her visions than I could control my gift, but I just couldn't handle seeing visions of her. Her smiling in the arms of another man, her in a white dress marrying someone other than myself, her belly round with her child. The pain was too much to even consider. After the first 18 months, Alice's visions stopped all together as far as Bella was concerned. Almost as if Bella were blocking her as effectively as she had always blocked me.

"Dude, are you going to go park or what?" I hadn't realized I was in my own world until Emmett's voice broke through. Alice and Jasper were already out of the car and heading toward the lobby, hand in hand. Emmett was leaning into the open passenger door staring at me as if I had horns.

"Um, yeah. Meet you inside"

I parked the car and grabbed my bag from the trunk. The Waverly wasn't a bad place. Very modern in its design, but very nice. The air in Atlanta was thick and heavy. I had never spent much time in the South, but I figured this had to be uncomfortable for humans. The moisture in the air would make extended periods of time outdoors almost impossible. In the middle of the night, the temperature was in the mid 70's, so I could imagine what it would be like in 12 hours. Stifling.

The glass doors automatically opened into the lobby. I had barely taken a step into the door and my throat began burn. Ravenously. I kept walking toward where Emmett was leaning against the back of a couch as he waited for Alice and Jasper to get our room keys. I noticed a faint familiar scent in the air that seemed to stand out, while at the same time blended with a hundred other scents. My hand automatically rubbed the back of my neck and I closed my eyes against the smell. Venom was pooling in my mouth when I noticed the conversation that Alice was having with the night clerk.

"Ms. Cullen, we have 3 rooms reserved for you. The fourth reservation has already arrived."

"Excuse me. The fourth will not arrive until late this afternoon."

The clerk looked stunned. Alice was still being very friendly and courteous, but there was a definite air of irritation surrounding the situation. The clerk's fingers clicked swiftly over the keyboard in front of him.

"My apologies Ms. Cullen. It seems that we have 2 different Cullen's staying with us. I am truly sorry for the mix up. Your rooms are ready for you. And the fourth will be ready before your other guests arrive. Please forgive the mix up. This isn't a situation I have run into before. I guess the name isn't very common, at least not around here."

The drawl in his voice masked the genuine fear the clerk was feeling. He was sincerely worried about losing his job. He knew the tiny woman standing before him was not someone to offend. Who else could make last minute reservations for 4 rooms and have all standards for check-in thrown out the window to accommodate them? But he was right, 2 Cullen reservations at the same time at the same hotel was uncommon. No one would get upset as long as Carlisle and Esme had a room when they got here.

"It's no problem" Alice smiled as she walked down the long desk. Jasper was fishing the credit card from his wallet, not really paying attention to his wife.

"It kind of makes you wish you could go to sleep doesn't it"

I looked at Emmett and knew what he was referring to. All around us, we could here the steady in and out breathing of the sleeping humans. Some snored, some grunted and some mumbled nonsensical words. My mind flashed to the tiny bedroom…..

"Edward!" I was caught off guard by my sister moving toward me a little faster than a human pace. She had in her hands what looked like a linen napkin and something was wrapped inside it. The venom pooled in my mouth the closer she got to me and the fire in my throat burned.

She stood before me, eyes wild with some emotion. She was offering me the thing in her hand like it was a precious jewel. I felt the rough texture of the napkin and the object inside was hard and rounded. The moment I pulled the fabric away, my throat exploded. A small glass paperweight in the shape of an apple looked back at me. But the scent pouring off the glass had me utterly frozen.

"Bella" I moaned at the same time Alice squealed. I was holding something in my hand that had the unmistakable scent of Bella covering it. The scent was less than 24 hours old. Less than a day ago, my Bella, had stood in the lobby of this hotel in Atlanta of all places and picked up this ridiculous object.

I smiled like an utter fool as I looked into my sister's face. Her smile was brilliant and full of unadulterated joy.

"I told them to add the cost of the paperweight to the room when I noticed it." Her smile was humorously wicked. Jasper had joined us and we were making our way to the glass elevator. I could do absolutely nothing except stare at the glass apple in my hand and inhale deeply. As the elevator made its way toward the 9th floor, I was so enthralled with aroma of her that I could have sworn I heard her moan my name.


	6. Chapter 6Brunch and Elevator Ecstasy

**A/N: Don't own any of the Twilight universe **sigh****

**To everyone that has reviewed, I cannot tell you how much it means to me. I love hearing the feedback. I get goosebumps every time I see a message in my In Box that someone has added this to their favorites. **

Chapter 6-Brunch and Elevator Ecstasy

BPOV

I was right. I hated myself when I finally rolled over at 9:30 the next morning. The now warm pillow was still tucked against my chest and the sheets on the opposite side of the bed had hardened with the yellow syrup of the Popsicle. I was mortified with myself. If anyone ever knew the depths to which I had sunk, I would die on the spot.

Sleep had not been restful, but at least the nightmares didn't make an appearance. Instead, I just had the recurring thought that Edward was calling my name. Almost groaning it. I was actually surprised that the sex dream didn't make a return appearance.

"Get your ass up, bitch." It was muffled through the adjoining door, but there was no denying it was Chip. Probably with Marcus right behind him.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I all but growled as I pulled the comforter over my shameful indulgence from last night, my cheeks heating with my ever present blush.

I reached to wrench the door open, only to find that Chip, wearing an extremely bright patterned shirt I could only assume was made of silk and holding 3 garment bags had already let himself in. His light blue glasses were perched on his nose and he stared at me cautiously. Chip's idea of personal space had always been to announce his entrance just before he came in exactly one half second later.

"Sex dream last night was it?" He cocked his eyebrow at me.

"How the fuck would you know that after 3 seconds?"

"One, darling, I know that beautiful face inside and out, therefore I know what that blush means and two, those are not the panties I laid out for you yesterday morning."

I flipped my middle finger at him.

With anyone else, I would have blushed even more profusely. But Chip was almost like an extension of me. He waxed my legs, and other parts, as needed and he rubbed my back when my cramps got to be too bad during that time of the month. He had held my hair back away from myself the few occasions JP and the guys had convinced me to get drunk with them. Hell, the two times I had caught food poisoning while out on the road, he stayed in the bathroom with me despite the horrendous stench.

"Yeah, sex dream last night."

Chip wrapped his arm around my shoulder in a one armed hug as he stepped into my room. The garment bags he held in his left fingers rattled with an ominous sound.

"Exactly what is in there that sounds like chain link?"

"I have 3 different outfits for you to look over for tonight, although I know the one you'll be wearing. And it might have some metal links fastening certain parts together."

"Christ on a cross, what are you doing to me?"

"Baby, the Queen has been hard at work and resistance is wasted. Besides, Blood Lust is the perfect place to debut the songs from the new album and the look has to fit. You know "Open Door" is much darker, so the look has to be darker." Marcus had his hair pulled back into a pony tail at the base of his neck and he was smiling a Cheshire cat's smile at me.

"Nothing with handcuffs please" I looked up at him to smile and let him know I was only joking, but I caught the two of them looking at each other like they had just gotten caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Oh fuck me" I groaned as I flung myself against the bed.

An hour later, the three of us made our way down the institutional beige corridor toward the glass elevator. After a rather loud argument, a ridiculously quick shower, several thrown garments and one large concession on my part, we had finally agreed to tonight's costume. This was the part of touring I hated passionately. I was not, despite all outward appearances, comfortable in front such large crowds. Particularly when I was more than half naked. But the music always took hold and I could loose myself in it. That's why I did this. The music filled the void inside of me that nothing else but Edward himself could. If someone wanted to pay me to do, then that was all the better.

The ding of the elevator ahead made us run the remaining 10 feet before the doors closed. Luckily, I was on "my time" as Chip called it, which meant that I had actually worn my own clothes. Tennis shoes, very old jeans and tee shirt. It was the only reason that I made it to the elevator without injuring myself or someone else. Had I been dressed by Chip, I probably would have flung myself through the glass after tripping on the heel.

Breakfast was on the agenda. Or more specifically, brunch. At 11am, brunch was the only thing available. I stepped into the glass monstrosity behind Marcus with thoughts of eggs and pancakes. And then I froze.

My heart was pounding, I could feel the cold sweat beading on my forehead and my palms felt clammy as the fisted my chest. But in the next heart beat my entire body relaxed. The burning hole in my chest ceased to hurt and for a split second I felt whole.

"Bella, baby, what is it?" I could hear the concern in Chip's voice and Marcus had stopped dead in his tracks.

"It's him, Chip. I can smell him."

The words were ridiculous even as they left my mouth. But there was no other scent in the world like his. As powerfully as I had smelled to him, his scent was equally engrained in me. This was not cologne or aftershave. This was not even the smell of another vampire. This was Edward.

"Honey, are you sure? I mean, what in the world would he be doing in Atlanta?"

"It's him. I don't know how or why, but it's him."

Chip and Marcus stared wide eyed at me while I swayed in the glass elevator. I couldn't help but smile. I knew it with every ounce of my being. Edward had been standing exactly where I was right now. And it had been recently.

The 20 second ride down the glass elevator was the best 20 seconds I had had in the last 5 years. This was no dream. This wasn't even a nightmare. He was real and he had been here. I wanted to push the button and ride the damn thing straight back to the top and down again, just to be surrounded by the incredible aroma. My head pulled images of myself wrapped in his leather coat, inhaling deeply, into its forefront.

"Bella, get out of the freaking' elevator. People are waiting."

I opened my eyes to see 2 men in dress suits standing in the lobby of the hotel waiting for me to exit. It was only that and the frightening scowl on Chip's face that pulled my from my glass enclosed Eden.

The small enclosed courtyard in the center of the Waverly was a restaurant of sorts. We were seated at a table and I felt as if I was in a dream world. I had no idea what, or even if I ordered, but minutes later a plate was set in front of me. I knew I was grinning like a fool, but I honestly didn't care. Edward was near, or at least he had been. And that was enough for me.

"Fucking prick" venomously spat pulled me from my reverie.

Chip looked as if he could kill someone. His attempt at violence would have been funny if I hadn't known exactly who he was talking about. Or at least I thought I did.

"Chip, don't call him that. It's not his fault that he didn't feel the same way I did."

"Actually, baby girl, it is his fault. But that isn't who I was calling a prick. But by all means, please, continue to think that I feel that way about him. I just got a text from JP and he has changed all my plans for this evening."

"How?" I asked through a huge mouthful of eggs.

"Apparently Tool is in town also. They want him to come by the club and play a small set with them before our show. He told them he would, but that means that you all will have to go with him. We don't have enough time to get him back to the club separately from the rest of you and have time to get everyone dressed."

I gave him my best smirk.

I loved it when JP played with other bands. He was so incredibly talented, as a bass player and singer. I adored watching him, and I didn't get to do it from the audience very often. His natural style was Alternative, but he added the edge to Everclear that had taken us to the next level. I had met him in Seattle four and a half years ago, and we had never looked back. He was menacing to look at with waist length dreadlocks and enough tattoos to cover several people. He had a penchant for inappropriate jokes and groupies, but he was an absolute riot to be around. He was also a fierce friend with a snarky dark humor to him that only a few people got. He was the big brother I had longed for after the Cullens, more specifically Emmett, left.

"So, why does that warrant him being a prick? I thought you liked to see him play?"

"I do. But that just means I need to get another outfit for you. You cannot wear your stage costume to another club 3 hours before you go on." He rolled his eyes at me as if this was the most obvious thing on the planet.

"You are such a queen. Please tell me that you are going to let me look normal." I knew even before he glared at me that I was wishing out loud.

"Bitch please! You will look bad as hell. So, no you will not be allowed to look normal".

"Fine. What time?"

"7. Leave by 8:30. Be at Blood Lust no later than 9. Show at 10."

"And sound check at 1:30?"

"Yeah. It's gonna be a hell of a day Padowan. Eat up."

I finished eating as quickly as possible and flew back toward the elevator. I was bouncing on my toes waiting for the car when Chip and Marcus joined me. They looked at each other, wearing identically indulgent expressions and then laughed.

"Ok, ok. Take the damn thing to the top once and then come back for us."

I kissed Chip on the cheek as I stepped once again into the glass enclosed car. I leaned back against the cool glass, his aroma still thick in the air and closed my eyes, determined to relish every second of the next few minutes.


	7. Chapter 7Can a Vampire Pull It Off?

**A/N: Don't own any of the Twilight universe **pout****

**Again, we earn our rating here, so if it's not your thing…well, if it's not your thing why are you reading a story that's rated M, but I digress…skip to the last 5 lines. It should tell you what you need to get out of the story.**

**Special thanks to everyone that has reviewed! I absolutely light up every time I see a message in my In Box.**

**How do you guys feel about bribery? It is possible, thanks to my latest bout of insomnia, that the next chapter may be ready today! I'm thinking that the more reviews I get, the more motivated I will be while editing. Is a double update worth a few extra reviews?**

Chapter 7-Can a Vampire Pull It Off?

EPOV

I had been absolutely fucking useless all night long. The only things I had been capable of were 1) replaying every memory of Bella I had, save for the last one; 2) smell that fucking apple every 10 seconds; and 3) jack off.

I hated beating off, but it had become a necessary part of life the last several years. The moment I walked into my room, I dropped my bag and sat on the end of the bed, cradling that apple like it was the Holy Grail. My mind immediately recalled Bella and I was lost in my memories until I heard the voice from the room below mine.

"Fan- fucking- tastic. Not only am I a freak of nature, but now the housekeeper will think I am incontinent as well."

The voice was muffled by the layers of concrete and insulation that separated the rooms, but my mind immediately decided that the voice belonged to Bella. The five hours of listening to EverClear in the car and the discovery of the paperweight had pushed everything else in my head away. There was room for nothing but her.

The guest below me was also partially responsible for my preoccupation with my own anatomy. There was the distinct aroma of arousal in the air, and again, my brain decided that it was Bella. I had smelled that particular fragrance enough to recognize it, but given the bizarre turn of events this evening, the logical side of my brain failed to make any distinction between what I actually smelled and what I wanted to smell.

That thought led to shower #1. I thought if I could just release the pent up energy, I could settle myself down and try to figure out what the hell was going on. No such luck. The moment I stepped from the shower, venom still running down the tile walls, I smelled the apple again. Instantly, I was hard as fucking granite.

So I grabbed my bag and pulled the strawberry shampoo from the outside pocket. This was an indulgence that I allowed myself only in the last couple of years. The synthetic fruit-scented soap alone was not nearly the same as having it mingled with her intoxicating scent. But for my activities it would have to do.

Hence, shower #2. I stepped into the hot water, again, and leaned my back against the tile walls. The apple was on the counter of the sink, so the steam quickly stirred her scent into the air. I closed my eyes and let myself go.

_We were in the meadow, sprawled out on a blanket underneath the stars. Her body was naked and lay bare beneath me. Her soft hips were pressed against mine, the skin warm and inviting. I hovered above her, drinking in her beauty beneath me. Her full plump lips were parted and her eyes were closed. Her breath was ragged and her chest heaved with her desire. Her fingers, tiny and burning, ran up and down my back, leaving trails of fire in their wake._

_I lowered myself to her and kissed her with all the passion I had. I wanted her to feel my love in every pore of her skin, in every muscle in her body, in every drop of her blood. I felt her shift as her legs wrapped around me. I buried my head in her shoulder, smothering my nose in her hair._

This is the part were I always had to open my eyes and find the small bottle of shampoo. I poured a large amount in my hand and dropped the bottle to the edge of the shower. I rubbed my hands together so that they were both coated in the pink liquid and leaned my head back once more. I gripped myself tightly with both hands, painfully anxious to continue my daydream.

_My hips pushed forward and I entered her as gently as possible. There would be time later for hard and fast. But I wanted to savor every second of this perfect feeling. She was so hot and tight around me. The incredible heat against my arctic cock was almost unbearable. As I slid in further, I felt her slick moisture envelop me. So tight and so fucking wet…and just…fucking perfection. Wet for me. No other. My hips found a rhythm of their own as I pumped in and out. In and out. Over and over and over. Never speeding up and never slowing down. Her name fell from my lips again and again._

_Her eyes looked up at me with love and longing. She loved me and knew that I loved her. She wanted me just as I had always wanted her. There was no tension or pain or anger between us. Only love. She was mine and I was hers. Eternally._

_My cock twitched with anticipation and my hips moved a little faster. Soon. Very soon. I felt her clench her perfect pussy against me and it was my undoing. I came hard. Every muscle in my body locked down and I let out a feral growl of pleasure._

And then I opened my eyes to find not our meadow, but the clinical shower and my venom running down the wall yet again. Disgusted with myself, I pulled out of the shower and began to dry off.

This particular pattern repeated itself 5 more times in the next 6 hours. I really did need to get a grip. If Bella ever found out what a fucking pervert I had turned into, she would be disgusted. Or maybe not. Bella never did have a problem showing me her love physically. It was always me and my prude ass that pulled away.

Ok, this line of thought was going to get me no where.

The knock on my door pulled me from my musings. I knew it was Alice, even without hearing her voice in my head telling me to put on some boxers at least.

"I really don't want that particular visual of you brother dear." She chirped her way into my room. "Come on, were going to breakfast."

The only response I had was to cock an eyebrow at her. What in the hell did she mean "breakfast"? We had just hunted yesterday. Even Emmett's appetite wasn't that big.

"Breakfast as in, we are going to go downstairs, order 2 cups of coffee and then go find Blood Lust." She stopped in front of the dresser in the room and inhaled deeply. "Wow, that apple packs a punch doesn't it? That almost smells like it's in the room."

"Alice, can I not just stay here? I really don't want to go sight seeing with you today." I noticed that the person in the room below me was starting to stir. They were going to be very tired today. The breathing pattern and heart rate never did fall into the deep sleep pattern I had become so familiar with. I kind of felt bad for whoever it was.

"Edward, we can do this simply or we can do this the hard way. But in the end, you are going to Blood Lust with me. I will have the best seats in the house and you will tell me which ones those are by looking around the club. It's non-negotiable."

"What would the hard way entail?"

"Me asking your brothers if a vampire can actually pull it off. Really, Edward, 7 times? That has got to be a record of some sort."

"Fucking kill me now. I cannot believe you saw that with enough detail to pick up on the exact number of times. Why not just light my ass now and be done with it?"

"Don't be silly. Everyone does it, just maybe not quite as much." Her evil little smirk did not make me feel any better; as I am sure she was quite aware.

"Come on. Get your ass dressed and I'll meet you downstairs in 10 minutes. God knows you shouldn't need a shower."

Fuck me this is going to be a long weekend.

**Chapter Notes: Ok, guys, we're getting a lot of reads, so let's see if we can get a little higher number of reviews. PLEASE???!!! Reviews are better than being in the shower with Edward…ok, well that's a lie, but you get the picture. Motivation for a double update up for grabs.**


	8. Chapter 8Sound Check

**A/N: I don't own any of the Twilight universe **sob**, so I have no legitimate claim on Edward**

**You guys are so freakin' fabulous. Please keep the reviews coming.**

**There is a playlist for this chapter, but it is not necessary for the advancement of the story. It just gives you some really funny visuals.**

**Clair de Lune- Debussy**

**Bella's Lullaby- Carter Burwell (or if you prefer, hot as hellfire Rob stroking the keys)**

**Higher Ground-as done by the Red Hot Chili Peppers**

**More Human than the Human-White Zombie**

**For Whom the Bell Tolls-Metallica**

**The Phantom of the Opera-Andre Lloyd Webber (original cast is the best)**

**Buttons-Pussycat Dolls**

Chapter 8-Sound Check

BPOV

If you ever wanted to see your favorite band acting like fools, find a way to see them at sound check. It never failed to amaze me how utterly ridiculous my musical family can get during sound check. We spend every night on stage pouring everything we have into our performance, so it's very intense and serious. Not to mention tiring.

But sound check is another matter entirely.

Chip had rounded the troops up by 1pm and we were currently making our way toward the club that would be our home for the next couple of days. We had one show tonight, one night of down time and then 2 nights back to back. Down time is really the wrong expression, I guess. We weren't playing, but we still had some promotional thing we had to do. This time at another club owned by the sleaze who owned Blood Lust. I think it was a New Orleans style club. Zydeco music and really strong rum drinks and probably lots of Mardi Gras decorations. Cheesy, but I adored the bluesy feel of the music.

"Heads up kittens, we're here." Chip yelled from the back of the bus. He was our unofficial mother on tour, so things like head counts and punctuality fell to him.

I stared at Chip, my head tilted to the side and resting on the cold window of the tour bus. Officially, Chip was the stylist for the band. Which means that he shopped a lot, bitched a lot and took better care of me than I had ever taken of myself. Actually, he was the only person, aside from Edward, that had **ever** taken care of me.

Chip and I met in Seattle about 5 months after he left me in the woods. I was hiding from the world, as usual, in a book store when a panic attack hit me. It was ridiculous. It was nothing more than a copy of the movie Romeo & Juliet on the bargain shelf. It was the older version that Edward and I had watched the afternoon of my hideous 18th birthday. My chest seized and my breath stopped in my chest in the middle of this gigantic bookstore 4 hours from home. I was utterly paralyzed and in serious danger of passing out.

And this flaming gay man that I had never before in my life laid eyes on swooped in put his arm around me and led me to an oversized chair in the back of the store. He spent the next 2 hours calming me and wiping my forehead with a wet paper towel from the bathroom. The conversation that followed my attack lasted another 2 hours. I poured my heart out to him about everything and by the time I got into the beast to drive back home; I had made my new best friend. Every week, for 6 months, we would meet in Seattle and just spend time together. He was adamant that I not crawl into my hole and give up. And honestly, I probably would have if it had not been for him and Charlie.

Charlie.

God I missed Charlie. I had never in my life been as stunned as I was the day Charlie was shot. He surprised a meth addict trying to steal a radio out of a car parked behind the diner and the asshole shot him. 10 days before graduation. Chip arrived at my house that night, stayed with me through the arrangements, attended the funeral with me and packed my shit up the very same night.

I stayed with Marcus and him in Seattle after that. I didn't even bother to go to the graduation ceremony. I had discovered the piano by that time and I spent hours every day playing an ancient upright in their living room. I poured every single thing I had into what I played and Chip never did a thing except encourage me.

"Have I got a booger on my cheek or something?" Chip asked me as he brushed his hand rapidly across the side of his face.

I smiled at him. "No sweetie, I was just thinking about Seattle and book stores."

"Bitch please" he winked at me and then made a kissy face.

"Now is not the time to go all sentimental on me. Get your ass off this bus and into that club. Time to conquer the South."

Blood Lust was fucking huge. Seriously, this club was more than twice the size of Forks High School. It had been sectioned off into three distinct areas, almost as if it was three clubs under one roof. The largest by far was the stage area.

The entire room had been laid out sort of like an old opera house. The room was rounded with seating on the floor directly in front of the stage and a second tier of seats on a balcony above the floor. The sides of the second tier to the immediate sides of the stage had several box-like rooms, apparently VIP seating.

The road crew had been busy. JP and I had discovered early on that I liked to move throughout the crowd when I sang. And the boys had come through for me with flying colors here. The stage was set high up against the opposite wall from the entrance. The lay out on the stage was pretty normal. Felix's drum kit in the rear of the stage on a raised platform, JP's bass set up on the right, Jane's keyboard set up on the left and Dimitri's guitar set up a little more toward the center of the stage, almost like a short stop. My piano was dead center of the stage directly in front of the drum kit and angled slightly so that I could see the crowd while I played. There were 2 mikes set up along the very front of the stage, one for me and one for JP when he sang with me.

The crew had built a walk way for me that spanned the entire upper seating deck, complete with 2 large towers at both ends of the stage that connected to the walkway with a wide staircase. They had also built a runway directly from the center of the stage that spanned straight down the middle of the room. The PA desk sat at the end of this runway underneath a ramp that led to a third tower in the very center of the room. The finishing touch was that they had built 4 additional runways that shot off the center walkway and led to different parts of the upper decks.

I could run all over the room, sing to every part of crowd and there would still be no such thing as a bad seat in the house. The best part was the second piano they had set up on top of the left side tower. I tend to favor the left side of the stage, for some reason, and now I could play from there as well.

It was amazing. If we had been playing a 100,000 seat arena instead of a 3,000 person club, the set up could not have been anymore perfect. This was going to be intense. It is the perfect venue to debut some of the songs from "Open Door".

I was so excited I could hardly stand still.

Another suggestion JP had early on is that we should not play strictly EverClear songs during sound check. He felt that we would loose our intensity if we played them over and over during the day. So we didn't.

Instead, we had come up with the most ridiculous set of songs we could to get everything perfectly tuned and to get all the volumes set correctly. We always started with something on the piano alone.

If it was my choice, it was always Claire De Lune or one of Chopin's Nocturnes. No real secret there. Those were my Edward songs.

The second song was trickier. I always played my lullaby. JP had added some orchestration to the song, so we used it to pull Jane's keyboards into the warm up. But the song itself always set my mood. I remembered every note of the song, even if I didn't still have my CD. It was the first song I taught myself to play on the piano at the empty white house after he left. I spent hours and hours trying to get the correct notes and tempo. But I finally did. And I played the song every single sound check. It seemed only fitting to make myself think of Edward before every show. After all, almost every song I wrote was in one way or another about him.

By the third song for sound check, the rest of the band joined in. JP's current favorite to get the juices flowing was Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground." Only he liked the Red Hot Chili Peppers' version. But than again, he liked anything by the Chili Peppers. I have to give him credit; the song works to get everybody going. After the third or fourth time we used it, he enacted a standing rule that anyone on the stage or floor during the end of the song, when it really kicked into high gear, had to head bang their way through the last few bars. The penalty for failing to participate if you were within his sight was a demonically painful wedgie that he would supply. It really is hysterical to see the road crew, the lighting guys, our sound guy Boz, Chip, Marcus and the entire band stop dead in their tracks at the same time to thrash about as if we were dying of some exotic disease.

This pattern continued on with the fourth song of sound check, which was usually something by Rob Zombie. Currently, we were stuck on "More Human than the Human" with yours truly supplying the moaning noises of the intro. The fifth song was generally a Metallica song. We never knew which one until JP started playing. I, personally, had the most fun with "For Whom the Bell Tolls".

Mike check was next. This involved a karaoke track to the most outrageous song Boz could find for JP and me to get the mike levels set. Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody had been a favorite until he found a karaoke set for Phantom of the Opera. I was currently being forced to scream out my undying love for the Phantom or Raoul while JP donned a gel eye mask and a towel cape to declare his revenge on me.

Then it was invariably on to spot light checks. There was no real playing involved here. Mainly it was me tripping and stumbling my way around whatever the stage set up was so that the guys could get the right angles for my marked spots. The interesting thing here is always the music that Boz picks out to play while I am making my way around the set up. It started with "Baby Got Back", during which I blushed my way around the stage. Then he moved onto "Funky Cold Medina", immediately preceded by "My Humps". He was currently on a Pussycat Dolls kick. So I usually ended up walking around to "Buttons" and flipping my middle finger to the repeated requests for a strip show while trying desperately not to trip.

Then, and only then, could we actually play an EverClear song. And never more than three, unless we were having problems with a particular song.

We were on the second round of "Taking Over Me" when it happened again.

"Taking Over Me" was one of my favorite songs because it was about a reunion with my lost love. God knows that was accurate. The song is not one of our heavier or faster songs, nor is it one of the darker more depressing songs. It's actually very sweet and innocent sounding. And the cadence of the song would lend itself perfectly to the incredible set up the guys had built for me. I was about ¾ of the way through it and standing on the upper tower with the additional piano when I was hit again with the unmistakable scent of Edward.

"Chip!" I yelled without even bothering to finish the song.

"What is it, I'm kind of busy down here?" he called to me from the side of the stage where he was doing something involving a glue gun.

"It's him." No other words were necessary. He dropped the gun and began climbing the stairs toward me.

"Do you smell him?" I was sure my eyes were wide as saucers.

"I don't know if it's him, but I smell something. Dear God, that smells like a bottled orgasm."

"No kidding."

I searched frantically for any sign that Edward was here. But all I could find was the black window of the owner's office directly above me on my tower and an empty VIP box directly behind me. The lights were out and there was no sound coming from anywhere other than the stage.

"Chip, I think I am losing my freaking mind. Can you have Marcus take me back to the hotel? Maybe a long hot bath will clear my head. I seem to be stuck having aromatic delusions at the moment."

"Sure, sweetie. Maybe a nice glass of wine to go along with that bath would help you out. But don't fucking drown. I will exorcise you spiritual ass to Hades if my perfect costume goes unused because you can't hold alcohol for shit."

**Chapter Notes: I know, I know…get them together already! Right? I promise, not too much longer and because I haven't slept in almost 50 hours (seriously, insomnia sucks) keep your eyes out for Chapter 9 much sooner than anticipated.**


	9. Chapter 9You Must Be Quite the Fan

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe **sob** If I did, Edward could sing my no sleeping ass into a coma. Wait, on second thought, there are other things I think might work better for wearing me out!**

**Show me some love babies! A hat trick (that's car business talk for 3 in a single day). I am now going to take an Ambien and a shot of Patron and hopefully sleep for the next 20 hours. Please, I'm begging you; make me squeal when I wake up to find an In Box full of reviews.**

**Next chapter begins what you've all been asking for. If we can get enough reviews, I may be inspired enough to post 2 chapters on Monday. I kind of like to overlap the action, so you might be able to guess what 2 chapters would do for our star crossed lovers.**

**Love you all, I'm going to pass out now.**

Chapter 9-You Must be Quite the Fan

EPOV

20 minutes and 2 rather rude texts from Alice, I was in the elevator on the way to meet my sister. I scanned the room below me and noticed that there was a restaurant set in a sunken courtyard directly below the elevator. I hadn't noticed the tables last night. I guess I had other things on my mind. The smell of bacon and eggs wafted its way through the air and I had to stifle my urge to gag.

"**What's for breakfast**?"

"**Er, I'm not sure. What would you like**?"

"**That's all right. I fend for myself pretty well. Watch me hunt**."

I heard her voice as clearly as if she were standing in front of me. That first morning after our day in the meadow. The first time she told me she loved me. There were very few memories I had that made me as happy as this particular one. I had been such an ass. I had known I was in love with her for weeks, yet when she uttered the words, perched in my lap in the rocking chair in her room, I had not said them back to her. I was in love with her. I had been in love with her almost from the first moment I laid eyes on her. But she was the one who was brave enough to say the words. She had always been the brave one in our relationship. Fear was not a concept she was familiar with and it was one I lived with on a daily basis.

"Are you going to hang out in the elevator or am I going to have to expose us all by kicking your brooding ass through the glass?"

I didn't realize that I had, once again, gotten lost in my own world. Alice was staring at me with an amused irritation in her eye. Her hip was thrust outward and she was tapping her foot with mock impatience.

"If you kick me through the glass, I don't have to go with you do I?"

"Of course you will. Come on."

I huffed out a breath in absolute defeat. I glanced at my watch. Shit, 10:48am was extremely early in the day to be arguing with Alice.

We decided to drive, just in case the overcast day gave way to sun. Weather in the south was almost as unpredictable as in Washington. I knew she wanted me to ask the questions churning in my head. But, Alice being Alice, she was going to let me do it in my own time. I really did love her. Of all my family, Alice was the one that I could count on to just let me be me, without having to explain the inner workings of my head.

"Have you seen her?"

"Just flashes. But they really don't make any sense. She's thinner and her hair is a lot longer. But I don't really understand anything else about what I'm getting."

Her mind began to replay the visions of Bella she had gotten through the night. It had been so long since she had seen Bella in any way and I was amazed at the clarity of the images in her head.

Bella sitting in a chair eating eggs with two other people at the table. Their backs were toward me, but they were obviously men. She was dressed just as I remembered; jeans and a tee shirt. Not a single stitch of make up and her hair down. She was utterly beautiful. Her hair rested in her lap it had grown so long. She looked amused and irritated at the same time, very much like the expression my sister had just given me.

Next was Bella sitting in a seat with her head tilted and resting against the side of a window. She wasn't speaking but she looked deep in thought and she seemed to be enjoying whatever it was she was thinking about.

I was stunned at the next vision she imparted to me. Bella, dressed in nothing more than a men's dress shirt sitting at a piano. The room surrounding her was dark. Her cheeks were flushed and there was a small purple bruise on her forehead. Her fingers glided softly over the keys.

The last one nearly caused me to wreck the car. Bella stepping out of a shower, towel wrapped around her and tucked into a knot. Her hair was wet and hung round her shoulders and her skin was flushed the most decadent shade of pink. She did not look happy and she seemed to be yelling at someone that was not in her line of vision. She stepped in front of the mirror and began to loosen the towel. She looked older but only because her body had filled out. She was curvier through her hips and her chest was significantly larger. Jesus, how much weight had she lost? Her collar bones and sternum was more defined and her arms looked tiny.

"Alice please, do you really want to show me that? Another second and I am turning around and going back to my shower."

She laughed a little too loudly for my taste at my admission.

"I guess you can teach an old vampire new tricks. Who would have ever guessed that you, dear brother, would be making jokes about jerking off?"

"That's it, I'm turning around."

"No your not, were here."

I looked at the building in front of me. The place was absolutely enormous. It had to be an old warehouse of some kind. The brickwork was new, but had been done in such a way as to make it look weathered. There were two large glass doors at the front that had been draped in black velvet. A red carpet ran the length of the stairs toward the doors and a rope snaked its way down the side walk. I assume this was for crowd control when the place was open. The words "Blood Lust" were painted on the glass doors so that they resembled blood dripping down towards the red carpet.

"Subtle."

My sister pulled back the glass door and stepped in without a moment's pause. The club was split into 3 sections but it was easy to determine what the main focus was. To the right there was an area with a large dance floor with several tables surrounding it. There was a large bar that spanned the back wall and lights that covered the ceiling of the entire room. To the left, there was a stage with several poles mounted from floor to ceiling. This area also had tables that lined the stage. No real problem guessing what this part of the club was for.

Directly ahead of the entry way we were standing in was a ridiculously large room with a stage set against the back wall. This was obviously where the bands played. I had to admit, I was impressed. The room was rounded and reminded me of a smaller version of the Paris Opera House. There were probably a dozen men erecting a walk way all the way around an upper level of seats and another 7 working on building what could only be described as a runway with small tributaries that connected to the 2nd story walk way. The band's instruments were already on the stage and a couple of guys were obviously tuning the guitars. The piano in the center of the stage was beautiful. It was polished to look like black glass and had a small set of steps that lead to the far side. I cringed to think that someone would step onto the top of such a beautiful instrument. There was also a second piano on a raised platform to the right of the stage. Apparently, this girl moved a lot while she performed. Enough to warrant such an elaborate set up.

I smiled as the beginnings of excitement trickled into my system.

"This way Edward, I know where the owner's office is. I can smell him." Alice wrinkled her nose as she pulled my hand toward a small staircase to the right.

Five minutes later, we were sitting in an overly ornate office with the repulsive human that owned this club. His thoughts were consumed with two things. Money and screwing a blond that apparently worked in the strip club downstairs. He was repugnant. Greasy hair, shirt undone to the middle of his chest and enough jewelry to stock a store at any mall in the city. He was also having thoughts about my sister that would have made Jasper rip his kidney out of his still warm body had he been here.

"My brother is a huge fan of EverClear and as a present I want him to have the best seat in the house for all three shows this weekend. He will pick them out and then you and I will come to some sort of arrangement as to how those seats will be reserved for him all weekend long." Alice was really turning on the seduction. She knew, even without my ability, that this man would be moved by nothing but money and sex.

"I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement my dear. Such a generous gift to your brother."

The image of my sister on her knees in front of this vile man that was immediately conjured in his mind turned my stomach. I stood from my chair and walked to a large window at the rear of his office, my fingers pinching the bridge of my nose.

The asshole's office overlooked the music hall and had an excellent view of almost every inch of the room. Directly below the window was the platform that held the second piano. To the left of the tower, there was a box with two tables and several chairs. It was less than 15 feet away from the piano but still high enough to see the stage.

"There. The box to the left of the piano on the edge of the stage. That's what I want."

I turned to look at this creature whose fantasies of my sister were getting more graphic by the second. He looked from her to me and his face fell slightly. I guessed he didn't want me on my knees. He wants money from me.

"That, I am sorry to say, is the only place I cannot give you. Instructions from the road crew. That box is to be left empty because it is so close to the tower and apparently the little girl who sings is quite fond of that side of the stage. Anywhere else, and I am sure I can accommodate you." His sneer was almost comical. But his thoughts gave him away. What he said was true enough, but this man had a price for everything. I picked the number from his head easily.

"$30,000 for you to forget that you had already reserved that box before you spoke with the road crew. In cash. All 3 shows and no one in the box besides my family and me. Including you."

I knew I had him before I heard his thoughts. His heart rate jumped at the mention of his dollar figure.

"You must be quite the fan of EverClear. Or perhaps, just of their singer. I understand she is quite the little tease on stage. And supposedly, unattainable. The club owners refer to her as the virgin rock star. Beautiful, doesn't smoke, doesn't drink and has never been with a man according to the rumors. Perhaps you wish to change that for her, Mr.…."

If I remained in this office for even another second, I was going to rip this fuck's head off. He was exactly the kind of creature I stalked during my time away from Carlisle. But if I left, my sister would be alone in the room with him. I knew she could quite literally tear him apart if he so much as touched her, but I also knew he would try the moment the door closed behind me and that was simply unacceptable.

"Cullen and I am a fan, but not exactly the way you envision it." I looked to Alice, who was removing a large envelope from her purse and sliding it across the desk to the sleaze.

"Your VIP room will be waiting for you Mr. Cullen and please do not hesitate to ask should you need anything else." The image of his blond stripper appeared and I winced at what that particular offer entailed.

As we made our way back toward the glass doors, someone began tuning one of the pianos.

"Who said chivalry is dead?" Alice smiled up at me.

"You saw that encounter didn't you? Why not just tell me?"

"Because of your reactions big brother. I had to try and keep you under control."

"You shit."

"I love you too. Come here, let's check out the box."

We stepped into the small enclosed area and surveyed the scene below. The room itself was nothing extraordinary, except that it was closed off from the masses. Two rounded tables and eight chairs were the only furniture. I stepped to the edge of the railing and leaned my hands on the metal railing.

"Edward, please try to enjoy this." My sister's eyes glistened with a range of emotions. I could hear her concern, her excitement, her uncertainty and her curiosity.

"I will, Alice, I promise. If I forget to tell you later, thank you."

She leaned against my shoulder for a split second and then grasped my forearm to guide me out of our very expensive oversized coffin.

As we exited the building, a gleam of shocking red caught my attention. Parked in the space closest to the doors was a beautiful Ferrari F430 with the license plate "BITE ME". I had often fantasized about Bella behind the wheel of, and to be honest on the hood of, exactly such a car, but I groaned as I realized who this particular machine belonged to.

"Ha! Good, now you can buy me the Porsche I want for Christmas. You were going to feel guilty about spending the money on two high performance cars in such a short amount of time, but now, it's only one. I'll take yellow thank you."

I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at her. She was beaming with the most beautiful genuine smile. And then she began to replay a vision for me.

I was standing beside a human in a suit, looking over the exact same vehicle. I spoke to him briefly and then shook his hand. As he walked away, he smiled like he'd just won the lottery. I ran my left hand over the hood of the car and laughed to myself.

"I saw that about a week ago, but it just disappeared. Apparently Jabba the Hutt upstairs changed your opinion on the Ferrari. But my Porsche just became clear as a bell."

"Alice, I …I…Do you know… who… I pictured driving **that** car?"

"You, of course."

"No honey. I have only **ever** envisioned Bella in that car. I always thought she would be stunning in a F430. You said you had that vision a week ago?" I whispered to her.

"Um... yeah." She answered me, very unsure of herself. I could count on one hand with fingers left over the number of times Alice had ever seemed unsure of anything.

"What the hell is going on?" I wasn't really asking her specifically. More like asking the universe.

I closed my eyes and replayed her vision in my head. Same conversation, same hand shake and the same smile on the guy's face as he walked away. I watched as I reached my left had to the hood of the car and began to stroke the top and then I gasped.

"Alice, I'm…I'm…"

"You're wearing a wedding band." Her face was frozen with the same shock that was coursing through my own body.

Alice had to drive us back toward the hotel. I couldn't think straight. I couldn't make any sense of her vision. This was too much to process. Bella's scent on the apple, the voice in the room below me and her visions. It was just too much to comprehend.

"Alice, what in the hell is happening?"

"I don't know Edward, but it's something big. I can feel it." Her mind raced with her attempts to see more of whatever the fuck was happening around us.

As we turned into the long drive that would lead to the circular entrance to the Waverly, a large bus parked directly in front of the doors caught my attention. The writing on the near side of the bus said "EverClear".

"They're here." Alice sang out in a frighteningly accurate imitation of the little girl in the movie that Emmett insisted on watching every Halloween.

As we approached the curve in the drive, I caught the sight of a whip of extremely long brown hair disappearing through the doors to the bus and my throat began to burn. Intensely.

I also caught someone's thoughts as they trailed off.

"…..kick her ass for making us late. Jesus, it's just an elevator, not the man himself."


	10. Chapter 10Head Banging

**A/N: I don't own any of the Twilight universe, but you guy already knew that.**

**To everyone that reviewed or sent me a PM: You have to be the sweetest, most rockin' group of fans on the planet. Thank you so much for the encouragement, the support and the concern for my insomnia issues. It truly warms my heart (jeez, that sounds really cheesy, but still appropriate) to hear that you guys are enjoying the story. **

**As promised, this chapter and the next bring us to what you guys have been clamoring for. I can't wait for you guys to find out if you guessed correctly about whom would see whom first. You know what to do if you want Chapter 11 today! No, I'm not above out-right bribery.**

**PlayList:**

**Stinkfist-Tool**

**Eulogy-Tool**

**H.-Tool**

**Die Eier Von Satan-Tool**

**You don't necessarily have to listen to the playlist in order to understand the story, but it helps create the visual. Just as a heads up, if you're not familiar with Tool's music, it is unique and captivating, but it can be very heavy. **

Chapter 10-Headbanging

BPOV

"Why is there no bra in here?"

"Because there is no need for a bra in there. Duh."

"Chip, I may not have porn star tits, but I do have enough to warrant a little help with gravity."

"The shirt is tight enough to help you with your gravitational problem."

The bathroom was still swirling with steam and my hair was dripping down my back. My hour long bath when I got back from sound check had helped me. I had relaxed enough to take a little nap and felt better when I awoke. Still very confused about the events of the last several hours, but at least somewhat rested. I still didn't know why I smelled Edward. He was the one with the super sense of smell, but I will never forget his scent. Honey and warmth and fresh cut grass and love. The aroma that poured from him was one of the things that I had used to hold onto him after he left.

"**It will be as if I never existed**."

I could still hear him uttering those words. I knew as I heard them that they were utterly ridiculous. I didn't have the perfect recall or the photographic memory that he did. But I would never forget that Edward existed. I could sooner forget how to breathe. The perfection of his face, the comfort of his arms, the feel of his icy lips against my skin and his obscenely enticing scent were just a few of the things that I could never have forgotten. He was my everything, infinitely better than anything my mind could ever have imagined.

"**You're not that creative**."

Two days away from the five year anniversary of him leaving me and **now** I start with the hallucinations. Why now? Why in Atlanta?

"Don't do this. Not now. Focus." I muttered to myself

"What was that?" Chip's voice rang through the door to the bathroom.

"Nothing, Queenie."

I reached for the black lace shirt lying on the counter. As I pulled it over my head, it occurred to me that it was very very tight. And the nude colored fabric underneath the lace gave the distinct impression that I was naked.

"Chip, where do you find this shit?" I asked as I opened the door.

"Here and there. Mostly no where." Standard reply whenever he didn't want to tell me the answer to a question.

The top was a mock turtle neck with short fitted sleeves. The hem was fitted so that it hugged my torso just below the bottom of my boobs. And now that it was on, I was again struck with the fact that I did appear to be naked underneath the thin layer of lace.

"Um…where is the rest of it?"

"Do not start your shit with me tonight. I am in work mode, which means you are on my time. Put the clothes on your ass and shut up."

The pants waiting for me were worse than the shirt. I think they were leather, but they were so tight I couldn't really tell. They sat very low on my hips. Too low in my opinion. Even when they were completely fastened and zipped, they just barely covered my nether region. I had to admit though; the outfit made my body look longer and the low slung pants made my stomach look very flat.

"Lord child, I am so good." Chip congratulated himself as I stepped from the bathroom. I knew I still had a good 45 minutes of torture to endure while Chip did my makeup and Marcus worked on taming my hair. I had, on Chip's recommendation, let it grow much longer than I had ever worn it. It did look good on stage, but it was murder to try and control myself.

"Tell me I'm not wearing 5 inch heels with this."

"No, you're wearing 4 inch heel knee high boots. So here, start putting them on and please don't forget the socks. You'll have on stilettos for the show and I don't want your stinky feet in them."

An hour later, after the torture of Chip and Marcus, a rather livid discussion on whether or not I would were the ¾ length black leather gloves (I was of course) and almost breaking my nose when I tripped over the towel in the bathroom, we were once again loading onto the bus. Our destination was a little club about 5 miles from Blood Lust that Tool was playing at.

I simply adored the guys from Tool. JP had known them forever and when our bands were in the same city, he usually played a set with them. They were odd and quirky and the nicest group of scary looking men on the planet. JP had introduced their music to me after we had begun writing together. I loved watching them play and it was a great way to relax and get pumped up for the show at the same time.

Industrial grunge would be the best way to describe their music, but even that didn't quite do them justice. The bus pulled in behind the club to unload us and the excited chatter began to fill the air. JP and Jane had gone ahead of us so that he could warm up with them, but the rest of our circus had piled aboard our rolling sardine can.

We had to have looked like an exceptionally scary version of the Partridge family as we pulled into the alley behind the club and made our way to the back door. The bouncer who opened the rear door led us to a small balcony at the rear of the club without saying a word. The balcony was this club's version of a VIP section, I guessed.

We had an unofficial routine to going out as a group. Particularly when JP was playing with someone else. We all stayed together and tried to just relax. Boz usually joined us, as well as Chip and Marcus. If time allowed, some of the road crew would also come with us. Tonight, there were a total of 10 of us, not including myself. I generally ended up in the middle of an informal circle the guys stood in. It wasn't so much for protection, although some of the mosh pits we had encountered really had frighten me, as for necessity. I tended to get lost in the music and when I did, I also tended to revert to my clumsy self. So the guys kind of formed a cage around me so that if I fell or tripped, they could catch me. It tended to put a damper on our show if I broke a bone or made a body part bleed before we went on stage.

The lights had already dimmed and the smoke from the fog machine filled the club as we made our way into the corner of the balcony above the club. Tool had taken the stage seconds before we were arrived. JP's dreadlocks looked like Medusa in the glow of the blue light above him. He would only have time to play 4 songs with them, and I had told him not to call me to the stage tonight. I wanted all my energy for the show.

"I'm gonna grab a Coke, anybody want anything?" Chip asked just as the opening bars of the first song rang through the room. He generally wandered around the clubs we visited rather than stand with us. He had told me once that he didn't have the hair or the neck to blend in with us and that he preferred to people watch.

"No thanks" chorused from all around me and I shook my head as he turned away.

In 10 seconds flat, I was totally involved in the show. I swayed back and forth and I could feel my head bobbing. I would have to visit the spa in the hotel in the morning. I knew my neck would be killing me tomorrow, between this show and my own.

The crowd below was wild in their exuberance for the music. In every direction, heads thrashed and fists pumped and bodies gyrated. A small mosh pit had already formed only thirty seconds into the song. The line of bodies directly in front of the stage were head banging with such abandon, that I fleetingly feared they would smash their skulls against the stage.

Head banging. The concept was utterly ridiculous to me the first time I saw a large crowd in Seattle doing it. I could not imagine being so wrapped up in the hard driving music that I would voluntarily thrash my head back and forth or around in circles to the rhythm of the songs. But four and a half years later, here I was doing exactly that. I had never felt odd about it either. Everyone in the club did their own version. The first time we had played to a live audience, I found that the more I thrashed on stage, the more the crowd responded. Now it was engrained. It was almost an unconscious action during a show. More like breathing and blinking.

The guys were all caught up in the music as well. I could see in my peripheral vision that Dimitri and Boz were every bit as involved in the song as I was. I closed my eyes and let the next song start to take over me. This song started off much more quietly than any of the other songs, but it built up to an exploding climax. I was dancing and swaying and smiling as I let the adrenaline wash through me. In a little over 2 hours I would be on stage and I could give in to it completely. My body seemed to be aware of that fact and had begun its own warm up, aided by the incredible music flooding the room

The third song began and I raised my hands above my head and screamed with the rest of the crowd. "H." was my favorite of all the Tool songs. The haunting bass line and the emotional lyrics swept me away. As the song faded into a quiet bridge I swayed and moved with the building rhythm.

_As I look in your eyes_

_My fear begins to fade_

_Recalling all of the times_

_I could have cried_

_I should have cried._

I turned to the right just a little to make sure that Boz was still standing to my right and gave him my best shit eating grin. The overly exaggerated eye roll he gave me told me he knew exactly what I was about to do.

I stepped up onto the lower of two metal railing on the balcony and leaned my upper thighs against the top railing. I was singing the lyrics with the band and I felt his hand gently touch my lower back.

As I let go of the railing and raised my hands above my head, I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise. It felt as if I had just been hit by lightning. There was palpable electricity that seemed to burn into my skin and my heart rate sped up.

_As the walls come down_

_And as I look in your eyes_

_My fear begins to fade…_

I thrashed my head up and down with more force, sending hair in all directions. Chip was going to kill me for messing up his masterpiece, but I couldn't have cared less as the music engulfed me.

I could still feel the electric current around me. It seemed to wrap around me completely. It almost felt as if that strange buzz had taken up residence inside of me.

As the last line rang out, the music launched into a hard drive towards the end and I let loose. I was thrashing my head in a circle in perfect time with song. I knew, without looking, that all of us were. It was kind of like a time warped gothic version of bonding. We all let go and after several years of playing together, we were probably pretty well in sync with each other.

I flipped my hair back, temporarily blinding Dimitri, and sang the lyrics as the song came to a close, grinning like a fool I'm sure. I yelled as loud as I could and clapped my hands over my head when the song finished.

The last song JP would play with them before we had to leave was a bizarre one. It was a strange mix of guitars and what sounded like a steel mill. It was also in German. I had no idea what the lyrics actually meant, although I did over hear someone in San Francisco say that it was actually the instructions on how to bake a cake. I had never had the nerve to ask the guys if that was true. Personally, I didn't think any of them would have a clue how to bake, much less turn a recipe into a song.

The song very purposefully sounded like a German Reich speech in some parts. I sang along with what I could and screamed at the appropriate times, even going so far as to raise both arms with my hands clenched in fist and bent at the elbows when the title of the song was screamed out. It was silly and probably looked ridiculous, but I was having a ball.

I was stepping down from my perch when I noticed Chip making his way back over towards us. He looked upset and flushed.

"Babe, what crawled up your butt?" I yelled at him, trying to smile at the same time.

He didn't respond. Instead he just looked at me and then cut his eyes to Marcus, who was standing to my right. We had already begun the descent back down the stairway toward the exit to the club and I was trying to talk over my shoulder as Chip pushed me ahead of him.

"Chip, what wrong? Talk to me."

"We'll talk later. Right now we have to get you to Blood Lust."

"You're scaring me." I had never known Chip to be so visibly flustered. I could feel my chest begin to tighten as I looked pleadingly into his eyes.

He smiled a little and tilted his head to the right.

"Nothing to end the world, baby girl. We'll talk later tonight. Come on, move your ass. We're going to be late."

I continued to look at him as he stood with his back to the open door of the club. I didn't particularly feel better, but I knew I would get nothing else until later tonight. I turned and was stepping back into the bus when I caught a flash of something white in my peripheral vision. I closed my eyes as I walked down the narrow aisle of the bus and inhaled. Sure enough, for the third time today, I could smell him. I dropped into a seat without opening my eyes. As the bus pulled away with at lurch, the intoxicating scent was still present.

"I'm losing my fucking mind" I muttered to myself as I opened my eyes to see the bus pull onto the main road that would take us to Blood Lust.

**Chapter Notes: Did you guess correctly? Review for me and let me know. Next up, we get to hear from Edward.**


	11. Chapter 11Delerious

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

**To everyone that took the time to review, thank you so much. I love hearing your theories about the progression of the story. You guys have been asking for this chapter for a while, so let me know what you think.**

**The playlist for this chapter is exactly the same as for Chapter 10. You'll understand why as you read.**

**Drum roll please…**

Chapter 11-Delerious

EPOV

The better part of my afternoon was spent lying across the bed in the hotel room, my new apple-shaped talisman balanced on my chest, replaying everything Alice had shown me and everything I had discovered for myself. There was just no way to make any sense of it. The only things I was sure about were 1) Bella had been in Atlanta within the last 24 hours and 2) she had returned to Alice's visions in the last 24 hours. Maybe it was coincidence, but I don't really think so. I was also fairly certain that I was losing my mind.

My phone chirped with an incoming text.

**Em wants 2 go 2 a club b4 the show-A**

**What club & why-E**

**Delirious & doesn't matter. Get dressed-A**

**Fine. Down in 15-E**

I didn't really want to go anywhere else. The day had been confusing enough. But Emmett, and Jasper and Alice for that matter, were going to see a band with me that they had never even heard of until last night. I owed them. I knew why they were all going, but I couldn't make myself admit that to them. I was two days away from the five-year anniversary of the worst mistake of my life. Five years without her smile or her love or her touch. We should have been married by now. We should have spent the last five years traveling and making love and talking and arguing and discovering the world together. In all honesty, she should have been a vampire by now. Had I not fucked everything up, I am sure she would have argued with me until I gave in. And after having some distance from the situation, I had to admit, it made more sense to give in.

**Enough already. U have plenty of time to brood later. Get your ass down here-A**

I wanted to throw the phone out the window.

Twenty minutes later, just to annoy them, I stepped out of the elevator. My throat had begun to burn the moment I stepped into the car and I had relished every second of it.

"Dude, it's about time. I thought I was going to have to send Ali to get you." Jasper drawled at me, trying to sound irritated but failing miserably.

"I'm driving."

"Why in the hell would I let you drive my car, Emmett?"

"Because you love me and because I will break your hand off and put it in my pocket if you don't."

"Alice…."

"I didn't say a word to him. I think he's talking about so you can't wrestle your keys away, not the other, uhhm, situation."

If I could have blushed, I would have.

"What other situation? Oh, Alice if you have dirt on the monk here, you **so** have to give it up."

"Not a chance Em."

I winked at her as I slid grudgingly into the passenger side seat.

"So where are you taking us?"

"Delirious"

"Am I supposed to know what that is?"

"I heard the guy in the room beside mine talking about it on the phone. Apparently, there's a band named Tool playing. And I want to see them."

"Tool? You want to go see a band named Tool?"

"So, what about it Mr. I'm-obsessed-with-EverClear?"

"Never mind. I guess it's kind of appropriate."

Delirious was not Blood Lust. This place was a slightly nicer than average biker bar, plain and simple. Relatively small and rough. We could not have stood out any more if we had actually tried. But money talks at biker bars too. $300 bucks to the goon at the door and we were being led to a balcony above the bar that looked out at the stage. The smell in this place was incredible, and not in a pleasant way. Stale beer, leather, and too many different kinds of perfume and aftershave to name, tobacco smoke and human sweat. Very nice. Should be a lovely time.

I figured I would give the band a chance at the least. And I could people watch to my heart's desire. The patrons of this particular establishment would have been scary to anyone but a group of vampires. They were almost all dressed in head to toe black, with various types of leather or vinyl and lots of metal attachments. Chains, studs, links-you name it, they were wearing it. The men had longer hair than the women for the most part and even with vampiric recall, there were too many pierced body parts to count.

I sat back in the chair and just looked around. This was amusing. Emmett was trying his hardest not to laugh and failing miserably. Jasper looked like he was in heaven. He loved bars. He said the mix of emotions and intoxication was a lot like nitrous oxide to him. He was smiling like Satan himself as he turned a chair around and straddled it.

"What's your poison?" the waitress asked us. Speaking of Satan herself….

"4 beers please." Alice answered without looking up. All 3 of us stared at her.

"What? If we don't order something, it will look odd. Just pour it on the floor a little at a time. God knows it won't make any difference."

Satan's minion walked back up with her tray just as another group was led into the balcony. There were probably 9 or 10 of them; I really didn't pay enough attention to count. Standard dress code of all black was kept, as was the hair length, with one glaring exception. There was an older guy with an exceptionally loud silk shirt with this group. His gray flat top and rounded belly stood out even worse than we did.

I had seen this man before.

The guy from Alice's vision had just walked in the door. And my throat began to burn as if a torch had been lit.

The band had begun their set and the crowd was in an uproar. Bodies thrashed in every direction. There was a group in the very center of the floor that were marching and running in a circle that seemed to have no purpose to it except to assist the members in flinging themselves into each other. It was mildly hysterical to watch. I chuckled to myself as I glanced at Jasper. He seemed almost drunk in his enjoyment of the scene unfolding below us.

I rubbed my hand against my throat in a vain attempt to ease the burning. It was an odd sensation. The thirst flared in intervals and I noticed incredulously that the flares were timed with the music.

"Fuck me, this is Valentino" Alice spat, distracting me from my ogling of the audience. The waitress had managed to spill a revolting colored drink directly into Alice's lap as she passed by. Her dress was soaked through on her thigh and the urine like liquid was streaming down her right leg.

"I love it when she talks dirty" Jasper leered as he leaned his head toward me, all the while never taking his eyes of his wife.

Immediately, I was assaulted with images of Alice that would have made the sleazy owner of Blood Lust blush profusely.

"Dude, I'm gonna hurl any second now."

"Sorry, man. Can't help myself sometimes."

"Shit, shit, shit. I've got to find something to clean this up with. Maybe they have some club soda at the bar. I'll be back."

"Babe, you want me to go down with you?"

"Jazz, I'm a vampire for God sakes. Why would you possibly need to go down with me?"

"In case you need to get naked in the bathroom."

"Jasper, please. Anymore and I am leaving immediately." I all but moaned the words out.

"I like your thought process, but I can positively guarantee that I will not be getting naked in any part of this bar."

As Alice made her way down the steps toward the bar, I glanced back at the group to my left. Flat top was no where to be seen. The band on stage was fully engaged in their performance and the lights in the club spun at a vertigo-inducing pace.

"Oh fuck yeah," Emmett roared as he stood up and clapped.

Tool was not exactly my kind of band. The grunge sound was lost on me, but even I had to admit they were unique. There was a bizarre type of energy from this band and I was kind of losing myself in it. The crowd below absolutely ate it up. Bodies were swaying and gyrating and thrashing in every direction. A lot of the crowd threw their heads back and forth or around in circles in time to the song. I couldn't do anything in my amusement but stare down at them. I understood getting lost in a piece of music. When I played, my body moved itself of its own accord in time to the piece. My eyes generally closed and I kind of let the momentum of the song take me. I guess the same could be said of head banging, although it looked quite painful for a human to be doing. I could imagine how one of the patrons of this particular establishment would feel in the morning. Completely hung over from the amount of alcohol consumed and not being able to tilt their necks to look over their shoulders. The images that thought produced were more than a little amusing.

My own hand was tapping out the rhythm to the song and my foot was bouncing a little as the song came to a close. As Tool began their next song, the roar of the group to my left caught my attention.

I looked a little closer at them and realized they were not like most of the humans here. This group was dressed in black and leather, but it was very expensive leather. Almost designer or even custom made. I could smell the subtle difference in the texture of their clothes. They had all the prerequisite tattoos and body piercings, but the tattoos were not crude or graphic. They were more like small works of art that happened to be on the bicep of a human. The jewelry that adorned their bodies were real gems and precious metals. All of these men had extremely long hair, but there was nothing lanky or stringy about their manes. But more than that, this group was very controlled. I guess that was the best word for it. Not one of them had a drink in their hand and only one of them had a cigarette. They stood together and immersed themselves in the music. Their thoughts were on notes and chords and stage placement; unlike the sex and alcohol consumed thoughts of the crowd below. They knew every lyric and every movement of the song. They were moving their bodies and throwing their heads back and forth, but there was a gracefulness to their movements. They seemed almost synchronized or choreographed. They didn't say a word to each other, but somehow they all complimented each others movements.

A tiny little black gloved hand shot up from the middle of the group and caught my attention. This had to be female. This person was significantly shorter than the rest; the top of her head was the only thing visible in the huddle of bodies. And the others in the group seemed to be almost standing sentry around this female. They had formed an informal wall around her, shielding her from everyone outside the group. I couldn't even imagine what kind of woman would be brave enough to venture into a club such as this with a group of men such as these.

Alice. If Alice were human, she would be with a group like this. I'm sure she would not have thought twice about going out with these guys. Even a human Alice would have been brave enough to join this crowd. The only other person I had ever met with that kind of bravery was…

"This is so fucking cool" Emmett laughed out over the music.

I couldn't help but laugh at his exuberance and I noticed that Jasper was doing the same. He leaned toward me, almost like I wouldn't be able to hear him unless he got closer to my ear.

"I imagine that being near him is a lot like being near a child on Christmas morning. It doesn't take much to amuse him."

Emmett had even begun to thrash his head back and forth, although the gesture didn't have the same effect without the long hair.

The odd group to my left yelled louder still as the third song began. This song was pretty good, I had to admit. It had a very sensual bass line that gave way into a much harder chorus. As the song picked up speed, there was a virtual wall of hair flying to my left. They were so together in every movement and it was fascinating to watch.

I scanned the lower floor and my eyes locked on Alice. She was leaning against the bar casually and she was talking to the man with the gray flat top. Her vision. My muscles tensed because I remembered the next part of her vision.

I darted my eyes over every part of the floor below looking for whatever would trigger my reaction. There was nothing. Nothing seemed out of place and no one even seemed to notice my brothers and me standing in the balcony.

The balcony. The group to my left. That had to be the source of the tension. I turned my head to the left to look at them again. Just as my eyes found them, one of the guys nearest to us stepped back just slightly.

And there she was.

Thirty feet away from me.

Bella.

My Bella.

She was looking over her right shoulder at the guy who had just taken the step back and she was smiling at him. I knew that smile. It was wicked and calculating. She was about to do something she knew she wasn't suppose to.

I could not fucking move. Time and space and light and sound had all frozen in that moment. I was on my feet and my hands were locked around the metal railing, but I was absolutely motionless. The only exceptions to my frozen state were my eyes as they darted up and down her body. But I could not move a single muscle. I could not breathe or blink or speak or think. I was stunned into petrifaction.

She was so beautiful it was physically painful. This was not the shy 18 year old beauty I had fallen in love with. This was a 23 year old bombshell. She was too thin, but her body had rounded itself in exactly the right places. Her hips were fuller but her waist seemed smaller. Her ass had shaped itself into a perfect hard mound that made my mouth water. And her breast. Dear God in Heaven, her breast. They were larger, rounder and seemed to defy gravity in their placement upon her chest. Her hair was at least a foot longer and the ends grazed the back of her upper thighs when she held her head back. She was wearing make up, but not enough to detract from her flawless complexion. Her eyes shone with excitement as she turned back toward the stage.

Jesus fucking Christ, what was she wearing?

A high neck short sleeved black lace top that just barely covered her chest and made her look naked beneath the lace. Her leather pants were sitting so low on her hips that her pubic bone was just barely covered. Her stomach was exposed, tight and flat and the muscles in her abdomen were defined. Leather gloves ran up her tiny arms to just below the sleeves of the lace. And she had on very high heeled boots that stopped just below her knees.

My cock was hard as steel.

"Edward, what is it dude? What's wrong?" I was conscious of Jasper's words, but I could not make myself answer. I was transfixed at the sight before me.

"Fuck me. That cannot be Bella." Emmett whispered from very close to my ear.

"Holy shit on a stick Batman." was Jasper's reply to Emmett's statement.

I was aware that my brothers were on their feet behind me looking in the same direction. I guessed that Jasper picked up on the jolt of disbelief that must have poured from me when I saw her.

At that moment, Bella stepped up onto the metal railing in front of her and leaned herself against the top rail. I automatically wanted to grab her and pull her back. That thought turned murderous as the man that had moved back just moments ago, the man that she had smiled so deviously at, placed his hand on her lower back. Skin to skin. I wanted nothing more than to rip his fucking head off.

Emmett's hand locked forcefully around my upper arm.

"Control bro. Control."

I watched as Bella began singing the lyrics to the song, bobbing her head in perfect rhythm. And when the song reached its loudest climax yet, she slung that incredible mane of hair in circles. She was breath taking. Every movement was perfect. And when she flipped her hair straight over her head, her face flushed and her eyes shining; I felt my knees give out.

"God damn it." They were the only words that I could manage.

"Good God, Edward. How in the fuck is this possible?" Emmett's voice held none of its usual jovial tone. His voice was laced with the utter disbelief that was flooding my system.

As the next song began, Bella did not leave her perch. The song was in, what the fuck, German. But she seemed to know every line. She swayed and tossed her hair and wiggled her ass in perfect unison with the song. The singer sounded very much like a member of the Third Reich giving a speech and Bella yelled at the exact moment that the crowd was suppose to respond. Her arms rose in front of her and her hands in a fist, she responded to the call of the leader. The group of men around her all seemed to follow her lead. Their movements all seemed to be determined by hers.

Who could blame them? Every movement of my life had always been centered on her.

"Edward, honey?"

I looked into the eyes of my sister, who was standing directly in front of me, me still on my knees. I leaned around her, and Bella had disappeared from my view.

"Edward, stay with me. You need to listen to me."

The group was leaving, taking Bella with them. I could not let that happen. I made to move, only to realize Emmett's hand was still clamped on my arm.

"Get the fuck off me. Em, let me go."

"He can't do that Edward, not yet." Alice's voice was patronizing, but not in a cruel way. She was speaking in the same voice that a human would speak to a rabid dog.

"We need to talk. She's at the Waverly for a few more days. You'll get the chance to…"

I didn't listen to her finish the sentence as I tore myself from Emmett's hands. I flew across the balcony and out the door that she had just left through. Her scent hung in the air thicker than fog. I ran at a just barely human speed as I tore down the stairs. I barreled through the metal door hard enough to launch myself into the brick wall on the opposite side of the alley.

She was gone. There was no sign of her except for the maddening scent of her skin and the smell of exhaust pouring from a large bus as it pulled out of the alleyway.

"Are you out of you fucking mind?" Jasper growled at me as he crashed into me, throwing us both against the brick wall. I could hear the mortar crumble against our combined weight. He had locked his arms all the way around my chest at the moment of impact.

I didn't fight him. Bella had been standing 30 feet away from me and I had let her go. Again. The pain tore through me at a blinding speed. My breath hitched in my chest and my muscles felt as if they all gave out in unison. My vision was clouded with the venom that had pooled in my eyes.

"Come on Jazz. Let's get him to the car."

Alice took my hand in hers as Jasper lifted me off my feet and walked us back toward the Volvo.

**Chapter Notes: So…what did you guys think? Surely this one warrants a review!!**


	12. Chapter 12Blue Leather

A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe **sniff** but you guys already knew that.

**You guys rock! I was thrilled with the response to the last chapter. Keep the reviews coming! There seems to be a direct correlation with the speed of postings and the number of reviews. Wonder why that is?**

**Next chapter is going to shift our playlist pretty drastically. The music will absolutely mean everything to the plot line. I will post it at in the Author's Notes for you guys. **

**Enjoy.**

Chapter 12-Blue Leather

BPOV

This could not be happening. I was sitting on the black leather sofa in my dressing room behind the stage at Blood Lust and I was being tortured.

Chip has still not said a word about what happened at Delirious to upset him. I had asked him at least 100 times, and all he'd say was that we'd talk later. He was absolutely stone- walling me. The preferred method of diverting my attention away from the unknown situation was apparently to piss me off as much as possible with less than thirty minutes before the show. He was accomplishing his task quite well by trying his best to convince me to switch my costume tonight's show. I had not been all together comfortable with the outfit we had selected in my hotel room this morning, but compared to what he was trying to switch me to; it would have been like wearing a velour track suit.

"Why can I not just wear the black?"

"Because things change and now you're going with the blue."

"Chip, I will look like some sort of bondage hooker in the blue."

"Bitch. Is that anyway to talk about my fashion sense?"

"But the skirt isn't even a skirt. Its 2 leather napkins."

"Bella shut up and put it on."

I held the skirt in my hand. Jesus, how was I going to walk out on the stage wearing this outfit? It was absolutely nothing more than two leather squares held together by three small chains on each side. The chains didn't even make the squares meet at my hip. Oh no, there would be a good two inch gap between the sides, so my entire leg up to the hip bone would be exposed.

"How does this even stay up?"

"Put the shit on and quite bitching please. It will sit low on your hips, but the chains are customized so that they will keep everything in place."

"Where's my underwear?"

"Well, you have a choice. Here, put these on."

He tossed what had to be a blue slingshot to me. It was the same color blue as the skirt and had the same small chains connecting the front to the back. But it was smaller than the average tea cozy.

"What's my other choice," I begged.

"No undies, baby girl. No way to hide the straps on the side."

"The fuck you say! Chip I am not going out there wearing cocktail napkins and going commando."

"Then you'll put on the panties."

"Chip, I can't do this. Are you seriously trying to give me a stroke? I can't go out there in either of you so called options." I knew I was whining, but at that moment, I couldn't have cared less.

"Yes, you will punkin. Hurry up, you've only got about 20 minutes before they dim the lights. And mind you watch how far you spread your legs while you're on stage. Don't want to give the fans more than they paid for."

I stood up and untied my robe, trying desperately to think of anything other than the fabric I was putting on. I could not believe that this was truly happening. I was apparently losing my mind, having Edward delusions and now this shit. The show was doomed before I even opened my mouth.

I opted for the slingshot in place of bare ass naked in front of 3000 people.

The skirt hung just about where the pants from earlier tonight did. Big difference was that with the pants, at least my ass was covered from all angles. This skirt just barely managed to cover my cheeks while standing perfectly still. I didn't ever stand perfectly still on stage, I walked back and forth, I climbed the amps at the front of the stage, not to mention the walkways the guys had built for me. And then there was this two-inch gap of skin that would show from every angle in the house. I was, in essence, going to give every seat in the house a crotch shot at some point during the night. Fucking great.

The top was not even remotely better. Cropped to just below boobs and a wrap closure. Only the closure was more of the little chains. My cleavage looked unnaturally large with the way the top was squishing me together. And the Fairy Queen wanted me to wear long leather gloves with this. Jesus, I was going to look like queen of the skanks tonight.

"Chip, I can't play in gloves."

"Liar."

"Ok, I don't like to play in gloves."

"Like I care. They look good."

"I don't wear blue on stage either."

He looked at me with that one. He knew exactly why I wouldn't wear blue.

"Tonight you do. Bella, this outfit was made for you. Literally. Do you know how long it took me to find Midnight Blue leather that would pass my standards? Honey, you look gorgeous. But more than that, you look like the lead singer of EverClear. Leave all this bullshit in this room and play your ass off tonight. Everything will be ok, I promise."

"At least tell me I have a coat to go over this."

"Who do you think you're talking to? Was it not moi that came up with the concept of stripping off the coat at the beginning of `My Last Breath`?"

"Yeah, it was. Can I see it?" My voice sounded defeated, even to my own ears.

The garment he handed me was beautiful. Blue leather fitted bodice with a wide opened neck line that flowed into the same color blue velvet that hung almost to my ankles. There were large slits up both sides so that I could move, but seriously, in this skirt, a couple of slits were the least of my concerns. There was a pair of ominous looking stiletto heels on the floor to my right. More blue leather with a wide leather strap that seemed to be for fastening around my ankle. There were three small chains attached to the ankle piece that matched the rest of the outfit.

"I don't know how you do this Chip. Everything is perfectly matched."

"Now there is the attitude I'm looking for."

I fastened the coat and balanced on the heels as I turned to him.

"What do you think?"

"I think you look too beautiful for any man to lay his eyes upon. Baby, you're stunning." He gently kissed my cheek and then smiled very sweetly.

"Thanks Queenie. I needed that. Where's my necklace?"

"Your collar is on the table by the mirror." He sneered the word 'collar'.

"Don't fucking start."

My necklace was a source of tension at every show. I would not perform without wearing it and Chip was determined to get me on stage without it. It was a really stupid argument considering that Chip had the thing made for me 3 years ago.

I sat down in the chair facing the mirror and slid one finger over the pattern on the pendant. The silver oval was delicate and gave way to a spider web of silver lines that led inward toward the center. In the center were two initials: E C. The letters were entwined with each other. The pendant had been designed to either slide onto a thick ribbon and worn as a choker or to be hung from a large chain and worn as a pendant. I had always worn it as a choker. Every outfit Chip had for me had a large piece of fabric cut to thread through the silver oval.

To the outside world, the initials were for EverClear. E C. But Chip, Marcus and I knew better. The initials stood for Edward Cullen and the design was from a piece of his stationary I found in his room after the Cullens had left. It was one of the many days I had gone into the house and the only time I had ventured to his room that I made my discovery. I wanted to find something, anything, of his to keep with me. The room was all but emptied and the shelves that had once held his music collection were splintered and hanging haphazardly from the walls. The only thing in the entire room that I found was a box of stationary in a desk drawer. The monogrammed insignia at the top left hand corner of the expensive paper was my choker. I had only taken 1 sheet of paper out of the box, but I carried it with me every day for the next year.

I panicked before a show in Seattle, when I couldn't find the piece of paper. I delayed the show's start by twenty minutes while we searched for it. After the show, Chip made me explain what it was. One week later he gave me the necklace, so that I would always have it with me on stage. I had never done a show without it.

In the last year, Chip had begun referring to it as my collar. I wasn't very fond of the connotation. But if I was honest with myself, it really kind of was. It tied me to Edward for every second of every show. It bound me to his memory. Every song in our line up, with the exception of two, was in one way or another about him. Or about missing him. Or about not wanting to be without him. So the necklace just reinforced what I already knew. Without Edward, there would be no EverClear. And without EverClear, I don't think I would have survived the last five years.

I was fastening the clasp of the necklace when Chip stepped behind me. I looked at him in the mirror and he looked very anxious.

"You're right Sweetie. I won't start tonight. You have enough to contend with."

"Now I'm fucking scared. What the hell is happening that you don't want to argue about my necklace?"

"Nothing, really. I just know you're in overdrive with the whole smell thing. I'll be good tonight, kitten. I promise."

The knock on the door broke me from my gaping at him.

"Two minutes."

"Ok, time to go. You look fabulous. Now go kick the shit out of Atlanta."

I met the guys in the hallway and together we walked down the dark hallway toward the stage. We didn't generally talk much before a show. I think we each had our own way of getting amped up for it. The crowd was already worked up and the shouts and screams sounded thunderous as we walked onto the stage in the pitch blackness.

We started every single show the same way. JP, Dimitri and I stood together in the center just in front of the piano. The lights would be dimmed on the stage with just a trace of blue showing our silhouettes. The entire opening verse of "Going Under" was sung this way. The lights would slowly be turned up as the verse gave way to the chorus. As I sang the first note of the chorus, the entire light setting would come up and flood the stage with brightness and the three of us would walk forward. We would spread out toward our respective parts of the stage and the show would kick into full force. It was overly dramatic, but the crowd seemed to love it.

I took a deep breath and looked to my right at JP. He gave me a wink and a small smile. I pressed the small button on the distortion box attached to the mike and took one more deep breath. I slid my right index finger over the initials of my choker and raised the mike to my mouth.

"**Now I will tell you what I've done for you."**

**Chapter Notes: I'm going to try my best to get Chapter 13 to you guys today, but no promises. Big day in RL, so it depends on how much time I have this afternoon.**


	13. Chapter 13EverClear Revealed

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you already knew that.**

**You guys are too awesome for words. We picked up several more readers with the last chapter, so to all you newbies…welcome. To those of you, who have been here from the start, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Have fun with this one and let me know what you think.**

**Playlist:**

**Going Under-Evanescence**

**It's a must to listen to this song at the end of the chapter. No other way to get the full effect of the show.**

**The title of the chapter should tell you everything you need to know. Enjoy.**

Chapter 13-EverClear Revealed

EPOV

I could not fucking move. It should have registered with me when Jasper dropped me in the back seat of my own car just how far into lock down my body was. But it wasn't until Alice slid in next to me and had to literally shove my legs into a bent position that it occurred to me.

"Alice…What…How….?" I couldn't even form a coherent sentence.

"I think I need to show you something. Sit still and listen, ok. Don't interrupt."

She turned her body to face me and pushed my legs back so that I was facing her. She reached her hands out and placed them on the sides of my head. She pulled me forward slightly and met me in the center of the seat, so that we were forehead to forehead.

"Just listen. Don't pull away."

I closed my eyes and tuned into the scene Alice began replaying for me.

"Club soda please."

"Child, what are you doing wearing vintage Valentino here for God sakes?"

"You know Valentino?"

"Honey I breast fed on a diet of Valentino. And by the way, that Chanel purse isn't supposed to be available until next season. So you, my sweet girl, are about to become my new best friend."

Alice beamed at the round man with the loud shirt and the gray flat top.

"I'm Chip. And you are fabulous. How did a diva such as yourself wind up here among the cretins?"

"My brother wanted to see the band." She shrugged her shoulders, clearly indicating this was not her idea.

"Tool isn't really my thing, either. But the call of duty must be heralded."

"I'm Alice. It's nice to meet you, Chip."

He reached out to shake her hand before she could react. His hand closed around hers and his wide eyes looked directly into her golden ones.

"You're Tanya's Alice aren't you?'

"Tanya?" her voice was shaky as she feigned innocence.

"Tanya Denali. You're the Alice she talks about with the fashion addiction and the uncanny ability to predict next season's trends."

"Jesus, you know Tanya?"

"And Kate and Irina too. Although between you and me, I can do without Kate's snarky attitude. And don't even get me started on Irina. Someone really should have checked to make sure the girl wasn't going to be permanently on the rag before they changed her. Never in my life me a more volatile person."

Alice actually snorted when she laughed. Chip was still holding Alice's hand.

"So how do you know them?"

"I met Tanya about 15 years ago at fashion week in Paris. Loved the confidence. The rest is a friendship forged in Versace and Prada."

"So you've known her a while then?"

"Yeah, but I don't see her often any more."

"So you know…."

"What she is? Yes. And by extension what you are."

"Oh. I see."

"Alice, can I ask you a blunt question?"

"Why stop now?"

"Is your brother here with you?"

"I have two brothers."

"Yes, but only one of them is Edward. So again, I ask is your brother here?"

"Yes, he is. How in the hell do you know about Edward?"

"Well, for one, I have known Tanya for a while and she talks a great deal about the one that got away. Doesn't happen to her very often. But most of what I know about him is because I work with Bella."

The look on my sister's face must have been the same one that was on my face the moment I caught sight of her. She was utterly stunned.

"Bella? Oh sweet Jesus. You know Bella?"

"Honey, I am mother hen to Bella."

"Dear God. Chip, how is she?"

"Look for yourself. She's currently about three seconds away from falling over the railing of the balcony."

Alice snapped her head up toward the balcony just as Bella flipped her hair back over her shoulders and raised her arms above her head. The flush of her skin was utterly magnificent.

"Holy shit. She's…"

"Stunning? Beautiful? Thank you, that's my work."

"I tried forever to get her to dress herself up. How did you do it?"

"Not without a lot of blood, sweat and tears. But she finally relinquished control. Fabulous results don't you think?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely. How is she?"

My sister's eyes were sad and I could see the pain in her question.

"She's good. Better now than she used to be. Still has a terrible time sleeping. About once a week, I give her hot tea laced with Ambien to try and help her sleep more than three hours at a time. But she's good. That's why I wanted to know if your brother is here."

"Why doesn't she sleep?"

"Because she dreams every night. About him. About him leaving her. Sometimes multiple times a night. And the nightmares cause panic attacks. She wakes us screaming and hyperventilating."

"Bella has nightmares and panic attacks?"

"Yeah. I was hoping after 5 years, they would subside. But no such luck yet."

"Him too." Her voice was so low, I was actually curious as to how he had managed to hear her above the music.

"He doesn't sleep. How can he have nightmares?"

"No, not nightmares. He has panic attacks. Every time he sees something or thinks about something to do with her. He never leaves the house, except to feed, and even that has to be forced on him. All he does is listen to his Ipod and think about her."

"We should really get these 2 together. Mutual panic attacks and emotional breakdowns. Sounds fun."

"I think Edward would sell his soul for a chance to see Bella."

"You know, she has been mess all day because she thought she smelled him. Three separate times, she has sworn that he had been near. I guess she was right."

"You are staying at the Waverly, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Edward has a paperweight that she touched in the lobby. He has held it like it was the Holy Grail all day long."

"Fuck, what a mess. What are the chances of these two running into each other here of all places. Jesus, one of the biggest nights of her career and..."

Chip's head whipped around to see the band finishing the fourth song. His eyes did not look happy.

"Alice, honey, I've got to go. I have to be somewhere in just a little while. Can we maybe meet tomorrow?"

"Sure, I'm in room 2204. Just call me tomorrow."

He turned toward the room and then wheeled around to face Alice one more time.

"Why are you guys in Atlanta, just out of curiosity."

"We drug Edward out of the house to hear EverClear play. He loves them. He has probably listened to their album a thousand times in the last two years."

"You're going to see EverClear? Tonight? At Blood Lust?"

"Yeah. We actually have reserved seats for all 3 shows. Are you going?"

"Yes, I'll be there."

"Will Bella be there?"

"Yeah, she will."

I opened my eyes as Alice released my head from her hands. I could not believe this conversation. This little pudgy gray headed man knew Bella. He worked with her. And according to him, he took care of her.

I would have to buy the man an island or something.

Alice smiled at me.

"It will be ok Edward. Let me meet with Chip in the morning and we can figure all this out. She's here and she's ok. That will have to be enough for tonight."

"I might get to see her at the show tonight."

"You might. But Edward, I really think you should wait until I have a chance to talk to Chip before you do anything rash."

"Like what?"

"Like hurl yourself out of our box at the sight of Bella. Move slowly. After five years, another twelve hours is not going to kill you."

"It isn't five years until the day after tomorrow."

"I know honey. I know. Just try to relax a little while longer. Let it be enough that you are in the same room as Bella and that you two are listening to the same music. You guys always did have that in common."

"Translation, hold your shit together or I will nail your ass to the seat," Jasper barked out. His tone and interruption broke the spell that Alice and I were both under.

"Dude, I got to say. Bella is looking all kinds of hot," Emmett laughed out.

I immediately began to visualize ways of removing his head from his body.

"Bro, chill out. He's just trying to lighten the mood."

"Fuck off Jasper."

"Fuck you. You're back there all nose to nose with my wife, and Emmett can't make a comment about Bella's leather clad ass?"

He was right. Damn it.

Alice was filling in them in on the details of the conversation, minus a few details regarding clothes.

"Ok, ok. Yeah Em, she does look good. Jesus, what the fuck was that outfit? Did she intentionally try to torture the human males in the building or is she still that clueless as to how gorgeous she is?"

"Just think, if you can pick her out in the crowd, you can stare at her all night." Emmett was doing nothing to hide his amusement at the chaos that was currently my brain.

"Why do you think I am still agreeing to go?"

Twenty minutes later, we were standing in the box to the right of the stage. The room seemed much smaller now that it was filled with people. The sound was like a tidal wave washing over us. I could do absolutely nothing except scan the crowd for Bella.

Maybe the show was why she'd dressed that way. She just dressed up the way the rest of the crowd did, so that she would blend in. That had to be it. Surely to God, that wasn't how she always looked.

I pictured her in Alice's vision eating breakfast. No, that was my Bella. Ratty tee shirt and no make up. Tonight's Bella was decked out to go out with friends.

Friends. Who in the hell were all those guys? And why was the one touching her? Granted, it seemed to be more of a balancing gesture than anything else, but I did not like the thought of anyone touching her.

_Stop asshole. You left her. You have no right to be upset about anyone touching her. She gave herself to you and you broke her heart._

Mercifully, the lights in the room dimmed, indicating that the show was about to start. I focused my attention toward the stage to see the silhouettes of the band members making their way onto the stage. The haze from a fog machine and the pitch blackness of the stage distorted their faces, even to my vision. The drummer and a female went directly toward their instruments, but three others made their way toward the center of the stage. The guy to the right was the bass player, if the length of the neck of his guitar was any indication. The guy to the left must be the lead guitar player. And in the center and slightly in front of the two guys was the lead singer. She looked tiny standing between the two men, even with the heels she was wearing. She reached up and touched her neck for just a moment and then raised the hand holding the microphone to her lips.

"**Now I will tell you what I've done for you."**

"**50,000 tears I've cried."**

Her voice was strong and powerful, even through the distortion. She continued to sing the first verse, cloaked in darkness and fog. The lights above the stage began to slowly come up as she neared the intro to the chorus. There was a faint click as she turned the distortion box on her microphone off.

"**I died again."**

The full force of the lights flooded the stage and the three figures in the center began walking quickly to their respective parts of the stage. The woman made a direct line toward the front of the stage as she sang the first line of the chorus.

Everything in my world stopped at that moment. There was no movement. There was no thought. There was no sound. There was only my tunnel vision.

A bright corridor of light burned a path directly from my eyes to the woman on the stage, holding the microphone and singing out in a powerful cadence. The same woman whose lyrics had held me captive in my memories for the last two years.

EverClear was revealed to the shrieking crowd.

Bella.

Bella was standing on the stage before 3000 people.

Bella was commanding the attention of every single person in the room.

Bella was EverClear.

"**I'm going under." **Her voice shattered my control as she sang the chorus of the song.

And for the second time in as many hours, my knees gave out from under me.

**Chapter Notes: So? What did we think? You guys know what to do to inspire me to get the next chapter ready for tomorrow. Show me some love bbs.**


	14. Chapter 14First Set

A/N: I don't own any of the Twilight universe **boo hoo** but you guys knew that already. I also own no part of any of the music referenced in this chapter.

****Jumping up and down while typing** We picked up a lot of new fans with the last two chapters. Thanks to everyone that has added me to their "Favorites" lists. Now, please tell me what I can do to get you guys to review. Naked Edward? Naked Emmett? What's it gonna cost me?**

**To all the loyal readers that have reviewed from the start, my heart felt thanks. It truly lights me up to see my inbox full of new reviews.**

**Playlist:**

**Going Under-Evanescence**

**Haunted-Evanescence**

**Imaginary-Evanescence**

**Taking Over Me-Evanescence**

**My Last Breath-Evanescence**

**Freak On a Leash-Korn featuring Amy Lee (unplugged version)**

**Quick note and then I'll get on with it. This entire story was inspired by my Evanescence playlist. The entire thing (almost) played out in my head on a very long car trip with the kids. It is truly important to know the music while you read this. Otherwise, you're going to miss a lot of the emotion and effect the music has on the story. And that will make all the difference in the world for what's to come. You don't have to buy anything on Itunes; every one of the songs is available for listening on YouTube. But please listen either while you read or after you read. **

****Jumps down off my soap box****

**On with the show.**

Chapter 14-First Set

BPOV

The first set was going well. We always started with "Going Under." The dramatic entrance and all. The song was about pain and fear, but the rhythm was fast and hard. It was a good way to get the crowd going. And let's face it, which one of my songs wasn't about pain?

I walked back and forth along the front of the stage and kind of got my bearings. I still had the long coat on, so nothing to stress over yet.

I let my eyes wander over the crowd and took in the variety of the audience below. For the most part, it was the standard crowd. Lots of long hair, lots black and lots of tattoos. But there were a few exceptions that caught my attention. There was a creepy-looking group of guys in the front right section. Yeah, I'd need to stay away from them as much as possible once the coat came off. There was an older man with a young girl, maybe twelve, in the rear upper section, directly behind the center tower. He had his arm protectively wrapped around her waist. The fleeting glimpse of fatherly love both touched me and hurt at the same time. I would need to make sure to sing directly to the little girl at some point.

When the song finished, I had to talk to the crowd just a little. I had never been very comfortable with this part, so I generally tried to keep it to a brief introduction for the next song. In this case "Haunted." The intro to this one was simple.

"Hello Atlanta. We are EverClear and we are glad you came out to join us tonight. Let me ask you, have you ever been haunted by the memory of someone?" I yelled out into the crowd.

Their response was immediate. "Haunted" had been on the first album, so a lot of the crowd knew it and could sing it with me. I had to stay upstage for this one. The end came rather abruptly and the next song required me at the piano. I had performed this song so many times over the years; I didn't really have to think hard about it. The lyrics and the staging were almost like second nature.

As I closed "Haunted", I began to walk backwards toward the piano and a sense of calm began to wash over me. After the turmoil of the day, the site of my rather large and hard security blanket was welcomed.

I loved this particular piano. Aside from Chip, it was my most reliable source of comfort and joy. I knew every inch of it as well as I knew my own body. There was a tiny scratch on the top in the dead center, the victim of one of my clumsier attempts to walk on the lid. There was also a slight knick in the corner left side where it had been dropped while trying to set up in Houston. But none of the imperfections mattered to me. I actually loved it more because it was damaged. Kind of like me.

But my favorite part of the instrument was the release it offered without question every single time I sat before it. Every fucked up or painful or stressful thing in my head could be hammered out.

And tonight, there was extraordinary amount of shit I needed to get out.

"Has there ever been a time or a place or a person in your life that seemed too good to be true. Almost as if they were imaginary?" I asked the crowd as I took my place on the piano bench. I sang the first verse, and my mind immediately conjured a picture of **my **imaginary place.

"**I linger in the doorway."**

"**An alarm clock screaming, monsters calling my name."**

"**So let me stay."**

"**Where the wind will whisper to me."**

"**And the raindrops as their falling tell a story."**

"Imaginary" was about our meadow. Everything had always felt right and safe and good in our meadow. I could remember and recapture some of that peace when I played the song. I just wished I could dream about our meadow more often. The rare occasions I did, I woke up feeling alive and hopeful.

I had intentionally written a pretty forceful piano line into this song. Every time I thought about our meadow and the sparkling man who inhabited it, I was seized with the desire to either scream or cry or pound the shit out of the keys. On stage, the last choice was preferable.

"Imaginary" led into "Taking Over Me." This had always been one of my favorite songs. I had written the melody of the song in Chip's apartment in Seattle at his old upright and the lyrics had flowed of their own volition. So it was natural that this was the part of the show that I really started to settle into things and have fun with the crowd. It would also be the perfect song to try out the walkway the guys had built.

During the quiet intro on the piano, I spoke the same words to the crowd that I had every time we played it.

"Have you ever lost true love? What would you give up to find them?"

Then the song picked up a lot in tempo and the emotions behind the lyrics began to flow of their own accord. This was one of the more personal songs in the line-up. There were no metaphors or hidden meanings. This song was my way of speaking directly to Edward. This was an out-right declaration of my continued love for the man that now only inhabited my dreams.

I grabbed the mike off the center stand and began the song.

"**You don't remember me, but I remember you."**

I started walking across the stage and up the stairs that led to the first tower.

"**I lie awake at night, and try so hard not to think of you."**

Onto the first platform and then I faced the crowd.

"**But who can decide what they dream, and dream I do."**

Down the platform and on the second level walkway.

"**I believe in you. I'll give up everything just to find you. I have to be with you."**

I looked out over the crowd.

" **To live." **I brought my right hand to the side of my head.

"**To breath."** I brought the same hand to my chest.

"**You're taking over me."** I wrapped my arm around my waist.

I had moved about 1/3 of the way around the room by the end of the first chorus.

I continued around the walkway toward the center of the room.

"**Have you forgotten all our love and all we had?"**

Up the small ramp that connected the back center walkway to the tower in the middle of the room.

"**You saw me mourning my own for you, and touched my hand."**

I stood perfectly still on top of the tower and took a couple of deep breaths.

My hand touched the silver oval of my choker and I closed my eyes as I sang the next line.

"**I knew you loved me then." **That was always the hardest line of the song to sing.

I continued back down one of the connecting ramps and made my way around the rest of the second story walk way until I was on the left side tower. I noticed movement in the box directly beside the tower out of the corner of my eye and I it irritated me. That box was supposed to be empty. It was too close to the stage. It would feel awkward to look at whoever was in there while I sang. Much too personal, particularly during this song.

So I just ignored them. I kept my back to them as I whisper sang the final chorus of the song. I was almost through the chorus when it happened again.

God damn it. I smelled him again. Stronger. More potent than ever.

But there was more to it than the smell. Just like earlier tonight, I felt as if I had been struck by some electrical shock. The hairs on my neck and arms stood on end and I could feel the pulse of energy inside my chest.

It couldn't be. It wasn't possible, was it?

I flew down the stairs and back onto the stage like a devil was chasing me. I wanted so badly to look up into that box and convince myself that he wasn't there. But if I did and I looked up into the face of a stranger, I would know he wasn't there. And part of me wanted to hold onto my delusions a little longer.

I closed my eyes and touched my pendant again in an effort to calm myself as the song came to a close.

_Hold it together Bella. Don't fall apart here_.

Next up on the song list was "My Last Breath."

My sex dream song. The lyrics were nothing more than thinly veiled metaphors for what I dreamt about on the good nights. But I hated this part of the show. It was time to dispense with the coat and parade my almost naked ass around the stage. That would do wonders for my current mental health issues.

"It's getting hot in here Atlanta. How about a song about sex dreams to keep the temperature up?" I had used the same intro since the horrid decision to make me strip had been made by the band. The only support I had gotten in favor of not embarrassing myself on a nightly basis had been from Jane. Unfortunately, the horn toad guys in our group out numbered us. Hence, the burlesque shows.

As the music began, I unhooked the first and then the second closures on the long coat Chip had given me. Then I had to untie the belt. Chip had designed this part of the show, so Marcus would step onto the stage briefly to pull the coat from my shoulders. The lights would always go completely dark for two seconds and when they came back up, I was supposed to walk, or saunter as Chip had called it, to the front of the stage toward the mike. I detested this whole exhibitionist show. But the crowd loved it, and I was summarily overruled in my opposition to keeping the peep show in the line up every time I plead for its removal.

I grabbed the mike and cringed when I saw the creepy group at the front of the stage making very rude gestures. If I could get through this one, the rest would be easier.

As always, I touched the pendant in an effort to center myself.

It worked.

Mercifully, this was not a long song. As I was nearing the finish, I had made my way back around the room and was now atop the right tower on the stage. The lights were so bright that it was hard to see anything except what is directly in front of me, but I caught just a flash of something in the VIP box directly across from me.

Snow White. And an un-nameable bronze colored mass.

"Your skin is pale white and ice cold." My own words from so long ago reverberated in my head as I walked down toward the wings of the stage. My hands shook with every step I took and by the time I made it off stage, my legs felt as if they would give out on me at any moment.

I had about 45 seconds to pull myself together and grab a sip of water while JP introduced "Freak on a Leash".

"Anybody feel like getting their freak on?" I heard him call to the crowd. He had placed a stool near one of the up stage mikes and had his acoustic guitar balancing on his lap. The lights had been dimmed on the stage so that as he began only he was visible in the spotlight.

I took several deep breaths and fingered my choker several times.

This song was more back up for me. I used it to kind of warm up for the coming songs. I didn't really sing much except the chorus with him and then I had a run of notes at the ¾ mark of the song. By the time I stepped back onto the stage, I was at least not in danger of falling completely to pieces.

"Freak" is largely acoustical and JP always has a ball with it, but tonight he seemed to be more into it than usual. Just as we neared the runs I heard him call out to the crowd:

"You guys ready to hear her scream?"

Lovely. Just fucking lovely. I was wearing next to nothing, apparently delusional, truly starting to fear for my mental health, there was still the situation to discuss with Chip after the show and now he's talking about making me scream. Me. The 23 year old virgin. I was going to have to kill him during intermission.

Chapter Notes: So? Are we happy with the first real glimpse into the concert? Let me hear it guys.

**Wasn't there certain someone's reaction to the loss of the coat you guys were anxious for? You know what to do to get it. Leave me some feedback.**


	15. Chapter 15First Set

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that already. **

**OMG! You guys are so awesome. I love the reviews that are coming in. So sweet, so supportive and so freakin' funny. Keep 'em coming for me. This is what you guys have been asking for.**

**Playlist:**

**Going Under-Evanescence**

**Haunted-Evanescence**

**Imaginary-Evanescence**

**Taking Over Me-Evanescence**

**My Last Breath-Evanescence**

**Freak on a Leash-Korn featuring Amy Lee (unplugged version)**

**Cloud Nine-Evanescence**

**Lacrymosa-Evanescence**

**Call Me When Your Sober-Evanescence**

**Again, the music plays a big part, so keep listening.**

Chapter 15-First Set

EPOV

She looked utterly magnificent. I had never in my hundred plus years seen any sight that could rival her as she dominated the stage. All the confidence and presence and power I had ever wished for her was standing on the stage before me wrapped in dark blue leather and velvet. She stood at the mike, her spine straight as an iron rod, and absolutely commanded the attention of every eye in the room.

Her bare leg peeked from beneath a thigh high slit in the coat she wore and she stood perfectly erect in frighteningly high heels. Her hair seemed to have a life of its own as she tossed it regally around her shoulders.

"Mother fucker" Emmett whispered from behind me. I felt his hands on my arms as he picked me up from my kneeling position and unceremoniously dropped me into a chair.

I turned my head to look at Alice and her eyes were filled with venom that would never fall. Her face was a perfect combination of outright shock and absolute love.

"Ed…Edward?" she stuttered as she looked at me.

"Two years of obsession and you didn't know?" crowed Emmett's chuckling voice.

Everything clicked into place for me. The perfect lyrics. The tone of the voice. The images conjured in my head while I listened to the album over and over. It had always been Bella. Bella laying bare her soul.

"I am such a fucking idiot." I said to no one in particular.

And then my chest began to tighten. Jesus, the pain in the songs. The loss. The sheer unadulterated agony. I was the cause of it. I had always thought that EverClear captured what I had felt since that hopeless day in the woods five years ago. But that was wrong. They didn't capture it. She'd felt it. She'd lived it. She'd suffered it.

These songs didn't remind me of us. They were quite literally about us.

Fuck, what had I done to her? I had never, in 108 years, felt more like a monster than at that moment.

I could hear Alice on the phone talking rapidly to Carlisle.

"…..kind of have a situation with Edward."

"Yes……no……everyone is ok. But I really think you need to get here…"

I had no idea what the first two songs she sang were. I couldn't do a thing except run my fingers through my hair and stare at the immaculate figure on stage.

Jesus, she was beautiful. Beautiful didn't even come close. She was fucking glorious.

I remembered the few times I had ever heard Bella sing when we were together and I had thought even then that her voice was amazing. But I had never even considered that she had this sort of raw power or control. There had only been a handful of times that she'd sung around me. Sometimes in the car along with the radio and occasionally I'd overheard her in the shower while I waited in her room. But when did she start doing this?

I was pulled from my reverie as she began to walk backwards toward the piano at the center of the stage.

The piano.

EverClear's lead singer played the piano, which meant that **Bella** played the piano.

This could simply not be possible.

"Has there ever been a time or a place or a person in your life that seemed too good to be true? Almost as if they were imaginary?" her voice rang out as she neared the instrument behind her. I closed my eyes for a split second to take in the gossamer tone of her voice as she spoke.

The voice of my dreams.

The voice of my fantasies.

The voice of my love.

The voice of my Bella rang through the room with all the majesty of a choir of angels.

She took her place at the oversized piano bench and brought her hands to the keys. I watched her graceful hands caress the keys as the intro to "Imaginary" began. I had played this song on my own lap hundreds of times as I listened to the song on my Ipod. But watching her take her place behind the ebony glass instrument was nothing short of a spiritual experience. I knew that she had taken lessons as a child, but that was only for a brief period of time and she didn't seem to remember anything as she sat beside me at my own piano so many years ago.

How in the name of all that is holy was this even possible?

I listened to her voice ring out over the crowd and my mind filled, as always, with images of our meadow. I had always seen our meadow when I listened to this song. I had always seen her, stretched out in the grass with the sun shining on her face as she looked lovingly at me, despite the unnaturalness of my appearance. There was a peaceful, almost reverent smile on her face and her eyes were closed as she wailed out the chorus of the song.

God. Damn.

The song actually was about our meadow.

Jesus, I was going to have to examine the entire last two years of my life. How had I possibly missed this? And how had Jay Jenks been unable to find her? She was performing in front of thousands of people nightly. Surely that could have been tracked somehow. Maybe it was time for Jasper to pay him a visit to remind him of our stature as his clients.

"God, I can't believe that's our Bella," Alice whispered as she leaned her head against my shoulder.

"Edward, bro, she is un-fucking-believable." Emmett's voice held all the awe and appreciation that I was feeling.

"No shit dude. She is incredible." Jasper agreed. His emotions were on rapid fire as he took in all that surrounded us in this box above the stage. Elation. Fear. Pain. Awe. Lust.

Lust?

I looked over at him, my eyebrow cocked.

"Dude, that's you. She looks killer and all that, but bro, that is all you."

The song came to a close and the band faded out. Immediately, there was the solitary sound of the piano and my angel's voice.

"Have you ever lost true love? What would you give up to find them?" she asked the crowd.

Fuck. Me. She was going to sing it. I wasn't sure I could handle watching what I knew was coming.

"Taking Over Me" had always been my favorite song on the album. It filled me with hope every time I had ever listened to it, without exception. Hope that maybe she could forgive me one day. Hope that we could one day be reunited. Hope that she could one day love me again.

But the feeling swelling in my chest as the song's rhythm picked up was almost foreign to me.

This song was about reclaiming a lost love.

**I** was Bella's lost love.

Surely to God, she didn't actually feel that way. After all that I had done to her and after all the time that had passed, could she possibly still love me?

I didn't have a word for the emotion swirling in my chest as I watched her.

She was walking around the upper walkway serenading the crowd. They adored her. Every person she passed screamed their admiration to her and she smiled her acceptance right back to them. She was every bit as selfless with her audience as she had been with me.

She made her way about half way around the room and then headed up a small plank toward a tower in the very center of the room.

I knew what line was coming.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply twice as her hand touched her neck.

"**I knew you loved me then."**

My long dead heart fucking soared as I stared at her. Bound tightly around her neck was a pendant. And the design of the pendant was something I knew well. More than 30 years ago, Esme had given me a stationary set with my initials engraved on the upper left corner. The insignia was identical to the pendant that was around her neck.

And she had touched it, just before delivering the line.

She was thinking about me, right that very second.

I was so absorbed in this astounding revelation; I didn't realize she was making her way to the tower directly in front of us until she was at the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh shit, Edward?" Alice's fearful voice pulled at me.

As she started up the stairs, my throat burst into the dry scorching thirst I had not felt in so long. And I would have fucking bathed in it if possible. I reveled in it. It had been five long years since I had known the exquisite pain that was Bella's scent. This was not a remnant clinging to something she had touched. This was not my mind recalling it. This was her. Pure, flushed and standing less than ten feet away from me.

I could not get enough.

She stood directly in front of the box, her back to me, as she sort of whispered the chorus of the song. I was ten feet away from her and she was singing of her desire to find me.

"**I believe in you. I'll give up everything just to find you. I have to be with you. To live. To breath. You're taking over me."**

Jasper and Emmett grasped my arms tightly.

"Fuck, get off."

"Dude, Ali saw you crawling out of the box. Not gonna happen." Jasper whispered sharply in my ear.

I looked at Alice sheepishly. The returning gaze was amused and happy.

But Bella was leaving. Down a set of stairs that led to the stage.

"She didn't even wobble," Emmett mused.

I smiled at him as she touched her neck again and brought the song to a close.

The music turned sensual and the opening bars of "My Last Breath" filled the air.

I knew what this particular song made me think of. I had spent a great deal of time in my fantasy world with Bella using this song as the soundtrack to our exploits.

"It's getting hot in here Atlanta. How about a song about sex dreams to keep the temperature up?"

Oh. My. Fucking. God.

Sex dreams. Bella wrote a song about sex dreams. She had written **this** song about **her** sex dreams.

I was hard as steel in a fraction of a second as that thought set in.

But what was she doing?

One clasp. The second clasp. Then her hands reached for the tie around her waist.

"Dude, she's fucking stripping." Jasper could hardly contain his amusement and I was quite sure it was at my expense.

She pulled the belt on the coat loose and the lights went out on the stage momentarily.

When they came back up, the image before me caused a reaction I didn't even know a vampire could have. My body physically jerked as if electrocuted. The force of the jolt sent me backwards over my chair and into the floor.

She had literally knocked me to my ass.

There was nothing graceful or controlled or elegant about it. The crushed chair behind me gave proof to the uncontrolled force that overtook me the moment my eyes reclaimed her.

She was walking toward the front of the stage looking more like a predator than I ever had in over 80 years as a vampire.

Dark blue leather top held together by the thinnest of chains and pushing her breasts together so that her amazing cleavage was on full display. And the skirt. What the fuck kind of skirt was that? Dark blue squares of leather that covered her body in the front and back, but never met at the sides. More of the little chains held the pieces together and her miles long leg was exposed from her ankle to her hip. The skirt hung very low on her hips, again just barely above her pubic bone. The piece in the back barely covered her ass and I would be willing to bet that if she leaned her head back, her hair would be longer than the fabric masquerading as clothing. Long dark blue gloves and stilettos heels completed the vision of a fantasy Bella that even I had not been able to conjure in my depraved mind.

"Jazz, baby…..hold on….shit…Edward" my sister's voice screamed in her mind.

"Edward, rein it in. Between you and the crowd, Jazz is going ape shit over here."

I couldn't even respond to her. The only thing I was capable of in that moment was to rise to my knees so that I could keep an unobstructed view of the vixen before me.

She stood at the mike in the center of the stage, her left leg gently bouncing in time with the music.

"**Can you hear me?" **Her arms rose from her sides up and out as if she was reaching for something.

"**Can you feel me in your arms?"** Her arms wrapped themselves around her torso and then slid down her sides toward her thighs.

I could not control the moan that escaped from my mouth.

"Fuck me." I was on my feet again, though I had no recollection of rising.

"Incredible isn't she?"

All four of us wheeled around toward the door of the small box that had morphed into my Heaven and Hell simultaneously. Chip stood, leaning against the door jam looking at us with an expression of utter amusement.

"I could absolutely kill you. Why didn't you tell me?" Alice looked at him, genuine hurt in her eyes.

"I didn't know if it was really my place. And then when you said you guys were coming to the show, I figured you would find out soon enough"

I couldn't have cared less about the man in that moment, because Bella was making her way around the room again. Mercifully, she was going the opposite direction from the last song, so if she stopped on the tower again, she would not be quite so close to me. I was positive my self control would not keep me from going cave man and throwing her over my shoulder to carry her away from the eyes of the other men in the room.

"So you must be Edward." Chip leveled his eyes at me.

I just nodded, never taking my eyes off her.

"I have spent the better part of four years thinking of ways to dismember you. And now that you are here, the only thing I can think of is that the look in your eye is exactly the same as hers." He shook his head at me almost pityingly.

That caught my attention.

I have to give it to this little man. He was standing in a small room with four vampires, threatening one of them, and there was no trace of fear or hesitation anywhere in his mind. No wonder he and Bella got along. Apparently he had no more sense of self-preservation than she did.

"I suppose I have you to thank for her outfit, or lack there of." I didn't mean to growl at him, but Bella had chosen that particular moment to grind herself against a railing. I didn't know if the growl was anger at him or simply lust for her.

"Yes, you do. Stunning isn't it. Ya know, you might be more appreciative. I have never once been able to get her to wear something blue until tonight. And what do you know, she agreed tonight of all nights. I suppose it doesn't have a thing to do with thinking that she smelled you three different times today, does it?"

"How did she react? To smelling me?"

"Oh, exactly the opposite from what I wanted her to do. She was elated. She wanted to ride the elevator for an hour just to continue inhaling. I think the phrase 'bottled orgasm" was used to describe the scent at one point."

I smiled. No, actually, I grinned from ear to ear like a fucking moron.

"Don't go getting all worked up pretty boy. I haven't decided if I am going to help you or set your cute little ass on fire yet."

I looked back down to the stage, but she was gone. The bass player was pulling a stool to the center of the stage.

"Anybody feel like getting their freak on?" he asked the crowd.

Emmett's laugh could not be contained. Neither could Chip's for that matter.

I didn't know this song, but it was, for the most part, acoustical. As the first verse faded into the chorus, Bella stepped back onto the stage to sing harmony with him. The lyrics were hard to listen to.

"**Something takes the heart of me. You and I were meant to be."**

I was so caught up in the song, that I almost didn't hear what the guy said to the crowd as they neared the bridge.

"You guys ready to hear her scream?"

What. The. Fuck?

Her voice rang out through the room with a series of notes that sounded other worldly to me. Each note took her higher and higher and the crowd seemed to be hypnotized. She was phenomenal.

Chip and Alice seemed to be engaged in a conversation, but I didn't really care to concentrate on what they were saying. She had started a new song and again, I wasn't familiar with it. The second album was going to be fabulous if this was any indication.

The next song was titled "Cloud Nine" and the lyrics were right on par with all the other songs. Pain. Loss. Want. Even anger. But her voice was simply unbelievable. Every note was strong and clear. She seemed to be holding each note much longer as well. She had pushed herself on this album. The crowd below was positively vibrating with excitement over the new song.

The third new song was "Lacrymosa" and true to her sweetly smart ass form, Bella introduced the song by asking the crowd if they knew what it referred to and then instructed them to go look it up.

"She's such a shit." Chip chuckled, now seated next to Alice and looking like he had known her forever.

She was on the move again. No wonder she was so damn thin, she had yet to stand still for more than a few seconds. She was following the same path along the upper walkway from the right side of the stage. The vocals on this song were almost operatic in height. She switched seamlessly from a lower register that was indescribably sexy into a ridiculously high register over and over. This song was hard and heavy and dramatic. The backing vocals were choral in their arrangement and were a beautiful recall of the symphony movement the song took its name from. She led the crowd through it like the most erotic conductor of all time.

And then she was at the foot of the stairs to the tower directly in front of us. Very slowly, she began her ascent, the lyrics stabbing me in the chest with every step she took.

"**Not this time. I won't lie. To keep you near me. "**

Holy hell, each line was, somehow, more painful than the last.

**And in this short life, there's no time to waste on giving up. My love wasn't enough"**

She planted her self directly in front of us at the very edge of the raised platform and as she brought the song to a climax, she whipped her head and hair around; very similar to what she had done earlier tonight in the other club. She was the conductor to the audience's orchestra.

"**Blame it on me. Just set your guilt free. I don't want to hold you back my love."**

Fuck me, she knew how to go right for the jugular.

She screamed the last line and then launched in to a frenzied head bang. Her hair whipped around and around in circles in perfect synchronicity with the music. On stage, every other member of the band was doing the exact same thing. The crowd was almost riotous in their eagerness to follow suit.

She flipped her hair straight back over her head as the song came to a close and lifted her arms over her head, encouraging the crowd to show their appreciation. And the response was deafening, even to a vampire.

"She looks like an avenging goddess" I said to no one in particular but in awe of her presence.

"She would probably slap you for saying that" Chip said very seriously. "But very accurate, none the less."

"Did she ever mention what that song was written about?" I already thought I knew the answer as I looked at Chip, but I needed confirmation.

"Only that it was about 'distractions', whatever that means."

God damned it, was there no part of her that I hadn't completely destroyed? My own words to her mocked me. I had never been good enough for Bella, and the incredible song I had just listened to proved that once again. But she was the one that had paid the price for my failings.

She took a few steps back toward the piano on the upper platform and took her seat at the slightly smaller piano.

"Ladies, ever dated an asshole?" she called to them and the people below roared.

She immediately launched into "Call Me When Your Sober". I couldn't help myself. I moved to the far side of the box so that I could see her hands on the keys. I was all but standing in Jasper's lap trying to get a better view. My Bella had always had long elegant hands, but watching her play was nothing short of erotic. She was so intense as she sang and her body swayed to and fro with the movement of her hands.

"Dude, you're the asshole" Emmett snickered. He was on his feet and mouthing the lyrics right along with her.

"Actually, no he's not. At least not in this song. She wrote it about JP, the mutant with the dread locks on stage. It's her way of giving him shit for being a man whore. But this is the exception; please feel free to consider yourself the asshole of every other song." Chip sneered at me.

I looked at this little man hard. He was staring directly at me and there was not a trace of fear in either his eyes or his thoughts. He was fiercely protective of Bella. His love for her was immense and unqualified.

"You love her. You take care of her. Thank you." I meant it very sincerely. I was so glad she had someone in her life to look out for her. The Bella in front of me wailing on the piano and absolutely controlling the audience's every move didn't seem even the least bit shy or frail. But Bella had always been very good at hiding her feelings and her fears. She still had nightmares, she still didn't sleep soundly and she still put the well being of others before herself. She hadn't changed that much and I was grateful to this man for everything he seemed to do for her. Except of course, the way he dressed her to go on stage.

He nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"She knows something is up." He cocked his head toward the piano. "She won't even tilt her head to the left. That's very odd and very deliberate on her part."

He was right. She was 10 feet away from the box and she had not so much as glanced in our direction. Not that I would have had a fucking clue as to what to do if she did, but it did seem odd.

"This is the last song before they take a 20 minute break." Chip informed us.

"Do you need to go to her?" Alice asked. I could hear her thoughts. Part of her wanted nothing more than to go to Bella during the break and part of her was worried that Bella would not react very well to that.

"No, all she'll do is pee, towel off and drink a cup of tea to soothe her throat, or at least she better. The second set is murderous. Anyway, she gets antsy if there are too many people near her during the break between sets."

"I would kill to be in that dressing room right now. Oh, shit." I had not meant to say it out loud, but the words just kind of fell out. Wonderful, I've added verbal vomit to the list of new behaviors for the night.

"You are so fucking hopeless dude." Jasper laughed at me.

"Can you stay here with us for a while?" Alice asked Chip.

"Yeah, as long as she doesn't need me. She won't talk to me right now anyway, at least not about what's going on with her tonight. Like I can't take a guess. But Marcus is backstage; if anything happens he'll flag me down."

The song came to a close and the lights went down. The thunder of the applause was overwhelming. Poor Jasper must've have been on overload by this point.

Bella all but flew from the piano bench and down the stairs the moment the lights went down. She had never once looked at us or even at the left side of the room during the song.

A fresh wave of her scent was stirred when she moved and it hit me like a volcanic eruption. Only there was another aroma mixed in with her natural essence.

I knew that scent as well. It was salty and musty.

Tears. Bella was in tears as she exited the stage.

**Chapter Notes: You know what to do guys! How about a little bribe? Thanks to a 2 hour wait at the service department of a car dealership, there is a third chapter that could possibly be posted today. It has an interaction that several of you have been asking for. So what's it worth to you guys to get it out today? All it will cost you is a review. We had more than 500 hits yesterday, can we increase that?**


	16. Chapter 16Intermission

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe **sniff sniff**, but you guys knew that already.**

*****Typing while doing the Pee Wee Herman big shoe dance*****

**The general consensus seems to be that Chip rocks. I have to agree. I love his character almost as much as I love the actual person he's based off. **

**Most of you guys loved him "handing Edward his ass" as one review put it. Let me just say this: YOU AIN'T SEEN ANYTHING YET!**

**Several of you have wondered about the interaction between Bella and the other members of the band. Good timing to ask for it. Here's a glimpse into the interworkings of EverClear.**

**Lots of new reviewers last chap. Welcome one and all. Glad to have you aboard this ride. Keep your hands and feet inside the compartment at all times for your own safety.**

**You guys know what I'm looking for. Pat my head, scratch behind my ears and make me purr and we'll get a monstrous double-shot tomorrow. Huge chapters coming up.**

Chapter 16- Intermission

BPOV

"God damn it! What the fuck is wrong with me?" I screamed at the wall of my empty dressing room. Irrational and childish as it was, I grabbed the first thing my hand found, a hairbrush, and slung it at the wall as hard as I could. The hot angry tears were still pouring down my cheeks.

"**Bella, why are you crying?"**

"**Because I'm mad."**

Our conversation in the car on the way to prom echoed through head and the tears fell harder. It was only the click of the door that pulled me from my memories.

"Alright chick, what's going on?" JP stood just inside the door, sweat dripping from the end of his nose and the silver loop secured through his left eyebrow. His hands were on his hips and he was staring at me with an intensity I had rarely seen from him.

"Nothing, I'm…"

"Fine. Yeah, save that crap for someone that doesn't know you. You freaked at sound check; Chip looks like he saw a ghost at Delirious, you just flew off the stage in tears and you're throwing shit around your dressing room. None of which constitutes as normal or fine behavior. So again, I ask, what's going on?"

My anger faded instantly and was replaced immediately with desperation. How the hell was I suppose to answer that? JP grabbed two towels from the shelf beside the door and walked the few steps to the worn couch. As he sank onto the leather cushion, he tossed one to me.

"Talk to me Bella. We can't fix it if I don't know what's happening."

I sank onto the stool in front of the mirrored table. Just to prolong my moment of hesitation, I reached for the top of one of the gloves and began to slide it down my arm. The air felt cool against the overheated skin beneath the leather. I peeled both gloves away and tossed them into the corner before I spoke the first word.

"I don't know JP. I think the safest explanation is that I am losing my mind." I tried to laugh it off and shrug nonchalantly.

"I already know that you'd lost your mind darling. I knew that the moment you agreed to take this little circus of ours out on the road. But what's happening tonight, right now that has you shitting kittens?"

"I smell him JP."

"Smell who? Who do you think…" he trailed off. His eyes tightened and narrowed as he stared harder at me.

"What gave it away?"

"Your hand."

I hadn't realized that I was tracing the outline of my choker over and over until he pointed it out.

"Yeah, I know what the 'EC' stands for. I've known for a while. One day you're gonna realize that pussy is not the only thing I am observant about." His voice was flat, but not uncaring.

I blew out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"Four different times today. The last one on stage. Every time I step foot onto the left tower, I feel like I am stepping foot into an aromatherapy chamber. It's overwhelming. JP, I know it's ridiculous, but he's here. He was at the hotel, he was at Delirious and he's here now. I know it and I am flipping the fuck out. I know there is no logical reason for him to be in Atlanta and there is no logical reason for him to be at this show. Hell, I can't imagine him even listening to the type of music we play. But I know that scent. I have tried to make myself forget it. And it's his. Which means, that he's here." I dropped my head into the towel in my hands and hid from his reaction.

He was quiet. After several seconds, curiosity got the best of me and I peeked up at him.

"Ok, so he's here. Now, what do you want to do about it?"

Of every conceivable reaction I was expecting, this was not even in the lineup. He was so calm and collected as he asked me the most complex question I had ever heard. What **did** I want to do about it? What could I do about it?

"I don't know JP" I whispered without looking at him.

"Ok, let's back up. Where is he sitting?"

"I think he's sitting in the box beside the upper piano."

"What do you mean 'you think'? Have you not looked?"

"No. I couldn't bring myself to look, so I just completely ignored the entire left side of the audience."

"Can I ask why?"

"Because if I look, I might see him. And if I look, I might not see him. Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah, it actually does. Let me ask you something. For the sake of argument, let's say he is there. In a perfect universe, what would happen?"

"I would slap the shit out of him and then kiss the shit out of him. And then we would live happily ever after. Pathetic, right?"

"That sounds about what I would expect. You seem to forget that I wrote the songs with you. I was in the room for every tear and every blush. Fuck, I was in the room for the panic attack that you cracked your head open with. Honey, let me throw…"

A loud knock at the door and a voice calling out "10 minutes" made both our heads snap toward the door. It was Marcus' voice and the doorknob started to turn slowly, almost as if from a scene out of some second rate horror movie.

"Fuck off; we'll be out when we're out." JP shouted toward the wood frame. The knob did not complete its turn and the door did not open.

"Thanks."

"So as I was saying, let me put something out there for you to think about. Is it possible that this is some giant universal coincidence?"

"It's probable. I can't imagine that he would come to see me on purpose."

"Alright. So with that in mind, Bella this is your playground, not his. You are not the 18-year-old girl that he left. You're not even the 19 –year-old girl that I met in Seattle. You, bitch, are the fucking bomb. You own that God damn stage. Everyone in that audience either wants to fuck you or be you. So use that. Do this on your terms. If you want to see him, do it with your tits in his face. If you don't want to see him, have security throw him out on his ass with your warmest regards. But do whatever on your terms. Don't let him have the control. You've given this guy enough. Don't let him have another single thing that you don't want him to have."

"How did you get so smart?" The tears had ceased and I realized I was smiling at him.

"Baby, when you have had to dodge the number of ex-whatevers that I have, you learn to do it properly."

"Whore."

"Yes I am thank you very much. I'm also your friend and as your friend I will back you up in whatever you decide to do with this. By the way, I'm also a friend that would be more than happy to help you with that little virginity problem. You are fucking smokin' tonight."

"Thanks and no thanks, I think"

"Do what your heart and your head tell you is right. Nothing more and nothing less. We're all behind you, although, I wouldn't let Dimitri get too close behind ya. The perv's been pitchin' one since 'Last Breath'"

I snorted at the ridiculousness of his statement statement. Pot, I'd like you to meet Kettle.

"That's the hard part, those two particular organs refuse to communicate. But thanks for the effort."

Another pound at the door gave us our 2-minute warning.

As we left the little room and made our way back down the dark corridor toward the stage, JP slung his arm around my shoulder and squeezed gently.

"Own it bitch. We didn't spend eight months in a rat-hole apartment writing and another 3 ½ years touring every fucking club in the country for you to give in this easily. Use what you're feeling. Pour it into the music. I got your back, however you want to play this."

"I love you Asshole."

"I love you too Bitch. Now get that leather wrapped ass on that stage and make us some money. There's a little blond about four rows back on my side that I think is going to need hip replacement surgery after I finish with her tonight."

"You are such a slimy bastard."

He slapped my ass as we climbed the stairs back toward the stage.

I still had no idea what I was going to do as I crossed the darkened stage, but I was at least somewhat in control of myself. The lights in the room had dimmed, letting the audience know we were on our way back to the stage and their roar was steadily climbing. I walked across the shrouded stage toward the center mike and stood still long enough for the guys to get back to their own marks.

I closed my eyes and touched my finger to my neck as I took a deep breath.

Here went nothing.

**Chapter Notes: I'll tell you guys this. I love JP and we are going to see more of him coming up. The reviews are getting more and more hysterical! Please, God, keep them coming. I'll make you a deal, keep the reviews coming and I'll make Edward…ahem…return the favor a little sooner than anticipated.**

******Sorry, long ass chapter notes, but I have just been informed by my daughter (who is my first draft editor, with the exception of a few **scratches behind neck and looks away shamefully** scenes and some blacked out words, that it would be cruel to not give you the next 3 chapters in a single day. She even offered to help with dinner to free up more editing time this evening. I value my kids' opinions above all others, so I'm going to try my hardest to do just that. If you like tomorrow's chaps and you have a sec, drop her a line with a little thanks. It would thrill her almost as much as a hug from Jasper would, and as Mom, you know I'll do just about anything to see her smile. I'll put her email address up in the chapter notes tomorrow. Thanks for the patience. **


	17. Chapter 17Emotional Eruptions

A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you already knew that. Furthermore, I own no part of the incredible music in this chapter.

***** Jumping up and down like an insane person while trying to type*** My readers and reviewers are hands down the most awesome group of people on the freakin' planet. You simply blew me away with your responses and encouragement. We had more than 800 hits yesterday!! What do you guys think, can we top 1000 today?**

**Big chapter here. We're gonna get angsty in this one, so hold on. What? It's Edward's point of view, what did you expect. **

**To all the Chip fans out there, grab the reins…this is going to be a hell of a ride.**

**Playlist:**

**Sweet Sacrifice-Evanescence**

**Lithium-Evanescence**

**Missing-Evanescence**

**Like You-Evanescence ***absolutely essential to listen to this one*****

**Weight of the World-Evanescence**

**Tourniquet-Evanescence**

**I know I sound like a broken record, but LISTEN to the songs, either as you read or after you read. You can't get the full impact of this chapter without hearing the songs.**

Chapter 17- Emotional Eruption

EPOV

I had lived for more than 100 years, but this fucking intermission was the absolute longest 20 minutes of my life. The time seemed to stretch on with no end. Chip and Alice were talking about a designer or something inconsequential along those lines. My brothers were scanning the crowd and laughing at me both internally and externally.

I was going to pull every hair in my head out by the root if she didn't come back on stage soon. I would have paid any price to know what was going on in her head both when she left the stage and at this very minute.

"Fuuuucccckk. How long is this God damned break?" I growled. All four sets of eyes in the little room instantly locked on me.

"Aww, what's the matter pretty boy?" Emmett smirked. I guessed he had picked up a new nickname for me. As if he needed anymore.

"Fuck off."

"I thought you were supposed to be Mr. Prim and Proper? I like that my mental image of you isn't correct, but according to Bella, you were very straight laced. No cursing, no emotional outbursts." Chip tilted his head slightly to the right and looked me up and down. Under normal circumstances, I would have been either defensive or uncomfortable. But this was anything but a normal circumstance, and I really didn't care if I had a monkey flying out of my ass, so long as she came back to the stage soon.

"He was. Mr. Pre World War I used to be so tightly wound, if you shoved a piece of coal up his ass, you'd have a diamond in under an hour. Not that you could get a piece of coal up there with the large stick that is permanently wedged up his Hershey highway."

" Fuck dude. What a lovely image Emmett, thank you. You are seriously nasty. If I could be nauseous, I would yak all over you." Jasper retorted for me.

"So what happened to loosen you up?" the little man asked. He was fingering his cell phone and cutting his eyes over at my sister. "Text from Marcus. She and JP are holed up in her dressing room. That could either be a good thing or a very bad thing." I immediately scanned his thoughts for a clue as to what he meant. But the image my own mind conjured at his words distracted me so thoroughly; I couldn't concentrate on anything else.

Bella and JP were in her dressing room. Together. With her dressed like sex on legs.

I turned murderous at the idea. My hands gripped the metal railing in front of me hard enough to leave imprints of my fingers and my jaw clenched.

"Damn it, Edward, what in the hell is wrong with you?" Jasper's face echoed my own fury.

"Mine," I snarled as quietly as possible.

The three other vampires in the room looked at me with stunned amusement. Chip, as observant as Bella was, noticed the exchange. His eyebrows rose almost to his hairline as he searched Alice's face for the answer to the unspoken question in his eyes.

"Nothing, my brother here just seems to be a little displeased with something he has absolutely no right to be upset about." The last few words of her statement, although meant as an explanation for Chip, were cold as ice and clearly directed at me. Jasper swatted my hands, still clenched around the iron rail, like I was a naughty schoolboy.

"So what happened?" his eyes back on me.

It was Alice who answered for me this time and I was not quite as appreciative of her response as I had been to her husband's just seconds before.

"He gave up. After Bella, he quit almost everything." Gone was the steely tone of her voice from seconds before and her eyes were full of that sad and pitying expression I was so familiar with.

"I didn't give up. I've always talked this way in my own head. I just quit filtering myself. It's not like I'm going to offend any of you assholes by cussing."

"No but you might offend your mother."

I wheeled around in my chair to find Carlisle, Esme and Rosalie standing in the doorway of the box that was currently my prison and salvation rolled into one. All three had their eyes trained on Chip, with expressions that ranged from disgust to abject curiosity.

"Will someone please tell me why the hell I am in this God forsaken place surrounded by the motliest collection of humans I have ever seen?"

"Haha. You have got to be Rosalie," Chip laughed.

Her eyes widened and bored into the human that had dared to address her so casually.

"I'm Chip and my dear; you make 'bitch' look like the new black."

Quite unconsciously, Rose smiled at him as she settled herself into Emmett's lap.

"Chip, I'm Carlisle and this is…"

"This is your wife Esme. I know. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Carlisle's expression was pleasantly surprised at such an intimate knowledge of our family. And his curiosity was more than a little piqued.

"Would someone please explain to me what is going on? Alice, you couldn't have been any more cryptic if you had tried." My father looked down at Alice, exasperation and concern clearly etched on his face as he addressed his youngest daughter.

"Edward, honey, are you all right? Alice said something on the phone about a situation?" My mother's arms wrapped around me very comfortingly.

The lights in the room dimmed and the crowd's roar shot up several decibels in a matter of seconds.

"Well, it would seem that you are about to find out," Chip laughed as he settled himself into a chair.

Five figures were walking across the dark stage toward their respective places on the stage in front of us.

"Carlisle, sit down. I think you'll understand here shortly." Alice whispered as she watched the figures with the same intensity I did.

"All right guys, we've got a few new ones for you tonight. But I'm warning you, we're going to get darker as the night wears on, so hold on tight" her voice rang out above the din of the crowd.

Immediately the guitar launched into another new song and her voice came through the distortion box again. The lights did not fully come up, but a blue haze hung over the stage enough for the figures below to be visible, at least to us.

"Oh my God…." Carlisle's voice trailed off.

"Oh… Bella. Carlisle… its Bella." Esme's voice broke with emotion and her hands were fluttering erratically against his shoulder.

"Holy fuck! Tell me that's not who I think it is." Rosalie choked out as Bella began another new song.

"Yeah, it is exactly who you think it is," Emmett answered with a chuckle.

As the song picked up pace, her voice became stronger and more forceful

"**Fear is only in our minds. Taking over all the time."**

She repeated the words again and then launched into a run of notes that was no less impressive than a soprano singing at the Met.

And then she grabbed the mike and started up the center walkway. Only her voice turned instantly angry.

"**You poor sweet innocent thing. Dry your eyes. And sacrifice."**

She had removed the gloves and her head was held high with her chin slightly out. She continued to sing the song as she made her way up one of the smaller ramps that connected the center ramp to the upper deck. As she turned to face the audience below, I noticed her eyes absolutely blazing with some emotion. She sang the next lines and I knew exactly what emotion was filling her. Pure anger.

"**One day, I'm gonna forget your name. One sweet day, you're gonna drown in my lost pain."**

She was pissed. This song was musical rage. She made her way around the walkway repeating the chorus and then the next verse. She had made her way to the tower in the center and stopped. She looked around and then let loose with a note that seemed to have no end. It was fucking astounding.

"How does a human even do that? Don't they need more oxygen than that?" Rosalie asked Carlisle with real curiosity in her voice.

"Dude, you are so fucked." Emmett made no attempt to hide the amusement he saw in the situation.

"How so?"

"Well, when Rose gets pissed at me, you guys all know it. When Bella gets pissed at you, every mother fucker with an Itunes account knows it."

Jasper clutched his side to contain his laughter at that particularly crass statement.

"Dear Lord… Edward?" Esme's thoughts were no more complete than her speech.

"Did you know this when you came to Atlanta?" Carlisle asked me, although he had already deduced that I most certainly did not know what I was going to encounter.

She brought the song to a close as she made her way back toward the center stage.

"Are we feeling a little uncomfortable?" Chip had quirked his eyebrow at me.

I just looked at him, unable to answer.

"Just wait, sweet thing. You ain't felt uncomfortable yet. She's about to let loose a torrent on your fine ass."

"The girl finally learned how to dress. I am seriously digging the shoes." Rose whispered to Alice, who nodded at Chip. Chip took a mock bow in his chair.

Bella took her place behind the piano and announced to the crowd that the song was going to get a little darker than the last. She took a deep breath and then began to play.

"Lithium. Don't want to lock me up inside. Lithium. Don't forget how it feels without. Lithium. Don't want to stay hemmed up in my soul. Oh, but God, I want to let it go."

Then her hands came down so forcefully on the piano that I actually feared she would hurt herself. As she began to sign the first verse, her eyes were closed and there was a look of abject pain on her face. The lyrics were haunting and desperate.

I looked at my parents. My mother's expression and thoughts seemed on the verge of breaking down as she watched Bella play. My father, on the other hand, shook his head slightly and gazed at her with pure pride.

I turned to Chip; not really sure if I could form the question I wanted to ask.

"Is she…. Has she ever been…?"

"No. But not for lack of my trying. I tried for months to get her to see a doctor when the nightmares were at their most frequent. But she refused after she did some research. This song is her medication. She told me once that this one and the next one were almost like an emotional exorcism for her."

Goddamn, I had all but destroyed her emotionally. I had never fully realized until that moment the depths of her feelings for me. I had always known that she loved me, but I had never comprehended that her human emotions would run as deeply as my vampiric ones. She had suffered every bit as much as I had, if not more. I had even robbed her of a few hours of peace each night as she slept, because I was the subject of her nightmares. We had, essentially, led the same life for the last five years.

This song was her most ambitious so far. Each note seemed to climb higher and last longer than the previous. It was so raw and powerful; it was almost painful to watch. It would have been, if the siren delivering such agony hadn't been so incredibly gorgeous.

Not even Emmett could utter a humorous word. It was almost as if she had taken Japer's ability and was projecting it across the audience. They were completely entranced with her, but noticeably quiet the duration of the song.

Her eyes never once opened as she delivered her song.

As the next song began with a chorus of ominous whispers and she moved back toward the front of the stage, she announced to the crowd that they were going to get darker still.

"Fuck, if it gets any darker, I'm going to have to set myself on fire" Jasper whispered to us.

"Well find the matches Cowboy, because this one is about her suicidal thoughts."

"What?!" chorused from every member of my family and all heads snapped to look at the human man that so bravely sat among us.

I was past speech as she began to sing.

"**Please, please forgive me. But I won't be home again. Maybe its something you'll know about. Already conscious, you'll say to no one. Isn't something missing?"**

"**You won't cry for my absence I know. You forgot me long ago. Am I that unimportant? Am I so insignificant? Isn't something missing. Isn't someone missing me?"**

The tidal wave of grief that consumed me was too much to contain and I began to sob. The tears would never fall, but I sobbed none the less. I gripped my head in my hands as the weight of emotions hunched my shoulders toward the ground. My body jerked with the force of my emotions as they rippled through me with unmerciful ferocity. I was so overcome, it never once occurred to me to be embarrassed or ashamed of my display. The only thought in my head, looped over and over and over, was that I would never be able to repent for this greatest of sins. The desperation crying out in my angel's voice was an abomination solely of my doing.

I felt a hand on my back but I pulled away from it. I didn't deserve soothing or calming of any type. I had done this. I had sworn my love to her, promised to hold her and keep her safe. And then I'd damaged her deeply enough for her to consider suicide. I had thought the very same thing thousands of times over the last five years and I had even made provisionary plans on how I would do it. My family was the only reason I had not followed through with my plans. But I hated myself for her pain. No, pain wasn't even close to an adequate word. Her agony.

I looked down at the stage just in time for her to deliver the most excruciating line yet:

"You know I'm the sacrifice. You won't try for me, oh no. Though I'd die to know you loved me, I'm all alone."

I had to step away from my emotions for a moment. My own chaotic thoughts, combined with the tsunami of thoughts from my family, were crushing me. I stood and turned to leave only to find my path to the door blocked. By the human.

"Sit your ass down and listen to her! You ran from her pain once. Sit down and listen. You need to hear what she has to say. You owe her that much."

I sat. I was incapable of denying his words.

"Do you see a pattern in her songs? Do you hear what she is saying, over and over and over?"

I just nodded.

"I don't think you do. I don't think you get it yet. This song is less than a year old. She still feels as intensely for you as she did five years ago. She still hurts every day and suffers every night. Over you. She wakes every morning wanting you and goes to sleep every night wishing you were beside her. She has never touched another man in anything more than friendship. Because of you. She loves you. Not past tense. She is **in** love with you even as she sings that song. She feels incomplete without you. So if you leave now, you had better keep running. Because I will hunt you down myself before I let you hurt her anymore. She would fall into your arms at a moment's notice and she knows you're near. If you leave without doing her the courtesy of letting her have her say to you, you God damned well better fall off the planet rather than let me catch you." He emphasized each word of the last sentence with a forceful poke of his finger against my chest.

I could do nothing more than stare at this slightly overweight short human. He was flushed with anger and breathing heavily. But he was 100% committed to what he was saying. He was absolutely willing to take on a room full of vampires to get to me if I hurt her anymore. This man was willing to do anything to protect Bella. He was doing for her, in that moment, what I had failed to do.

I was in awe of him.

"What should I do?" I whispered. I wasn't even sure that he would be able to hear me.

"You let her make the choice. You give her the control over what she wants. She's not stupid, nor is she incapable of making her own choices. You make yourself available to her and let her make the decision as to whether or not to confront you. You don't get to have control over the situation anymore."

He sat back down heavily into his chair and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked onto the stage. His breath was ragged with his lingering ire.

"And you listen to the next song and see if you can use that super brain power to see if you know what she's talking about."

Not a single member of my family moved or spoke. They, too, were simply stunned by this man's unconditional love for Bella.

Mercifully, the song came to a close and as I looked at her once again, I saw fresh tear tracks on her cheeks.

A haunting melody on the piano began and a third new song started.

"I wrote this for someone very special. It would make more sense to him. But I guess you could call this EverClear's version of 'til death do us part" she announced to the crowd.

Chip's thoughts betrayed his shock at her introduction to the song.

"There's your acknowledgement pretty boy. They have been playing that song for months and that's the first time she's ever intro'd the song that way. She's talking directly to you" he spat, never taking his eyes off her.

She stood perfectly still as she began the song. Her voice was in a much lower register than the majority of her songs. It was beautiful and haunting and sexy all at the same time. But the chorus of the song is what brought me to my feet.

"**I know I may have lost my way. All paths lead straight to you. I long to be like you. Lying cold in the ground like you.**

I could not look away from her in that moment had my body been set ablaze. Could she really be telling me what I thought? She had begun to slowly walk up the center ramp toward the middle tower. She climbed the stairs as she sang the lines that lead to the chorus again.

She turned on the tower to face the stage and touched her neck. Her eyes were closed but her head was raised toward the ceiling, almost as if in prayer.

"**You're not alone." **Her finger traced the outline of the pendant at her neck.

"**No matter what they tell you, you're not alone."** Her voice was so strong and emotional. She was perfection personified standing on that tower.

And then she fell to her knees as she sang the next line, her left arm wrapped around her waist.

"**I'll be right beside you forever more."** Her head rolled to the right as she held the note longer than any other of the night. Her face was an exquisite composite of too may emotions to name.

"Chip, what do I do?" I begged him.

"If she was standing before you right now, what would you want?"

"To beg her forgiveness. To spend eternity showing her my love. To marry her, on the spot. To never leave her side. To never again see the sun rise without her wrapped in my arms."

It wasn't the response he was expecting. His mouth hung open and his eyes seemed to bulge out of his skull slightly.

"What? Then why the hell did you ever leave?" His thoughts were frenzied between lingering anger, confusion and approval of my words.

"I thought I was protecting her. I wanted her to have a normal life, with normal human experiences. I wanted to keep her away from the danger my world is to her. But I never, for a solitary second, stopped loving her. Never. I need her. I need her in every way."

I didn't know how to put it any other way. I had been living a half-life since the day I left. I had always known that I wouldn't be whole without her, but I hadn't realized that she would suffer as cursed an existence as I had.

"She needs to hear that from you. She has spent the last five years convinced that you don't love her. That you never really did. That you didn't want her in your life. You need to take that burden from her."

Thank God, she brought the song to a close and had begun another. I knew this one. "Weight of the World" was very up-tempo with a funky blues riff in the middle of the song. The lyrics were still about hurt and burden, but fuck, after the last three songs, it almost felt like a celebration.

The crowd responded immediately to the change of pace. Back was the frenzied thrashing and swiveling and the applause roared once again. It only took her seconds to bring the audience back to its full volume and by its close; the audience was more worked up than ever.

As she began the intro into the next song, it was not me that was stunned into immobilization.

"I wrote this next song about one of the most amazing men I've ever met. His start in life was horrific. But he overcame such terrible beginnings with nothing more than his own strength and faith. So Carlisle, where ever you are, this one's for you."

All heads turned to look at Carlisle, whose eyes were round and amazed. He didn't seem to be blinking or breathing.

"I knew it. I fucking knew it," I all but shouted at him. "I knew this song was about you. Every time I listened to it, it made me think about you."

"Tourniquet" was a deep song. It had always conjured images of Carlisle hiding in that root cellar for his burning days and then waking to discover what he had become. I always imagined this song as his conversation with God after his discovery of his supernatural fate. And damn if Bella hadn't just confirmed that.

Jesus, she was so fucking talented. She had captured in a 4 minute song what Carlisle had struggled to verbalize for two hundred years and what I had never been able to fully understand about my father's faith.

My mother's hand came to her mouth as Bella sang out the chorus with absolute conviction in her voice:

"**My God. My tourniquet. Return to me salvation."**

The break in the lyrics gave way to another wave of head banging, with my goddess at the helm. The audience was quickly building up past their prior riotous levels.

As she sang out the last verse, my father was the one that was unsteady on his feet.

"**My wounds cry for the grave. My soul cries for deliverance. Will I be denied? Christ, my tourniquet, my suicide."**

"Edward, you have to make this right." It was my mother's voice that spoke with a conviction I had seldom heard.

I looked into her eyes and they were fierce. I nodded.

As the keyboards brought yet another orchestral close to the song, the crowd seemed to gather momentum. It was then that I realized which songs they had left to play.

Jesus, it was going to be pandemonium in here.

Chapter Notes: Are we all in tears yet? I'm not afraid to tell you, the first time I read this, I was. By the way, can anyone guess which songs are left to play?

**This one HAS to be worth reviewing, right? Show me some love, I need it after being so cruel to my beautiful Edward.**

**Also, I told you guys yesterday, today's chapters are coming to you in rapid succession for one reason. My daughter insisted that it was the only way to give it to you guys and not be a bitch by holding out. If you have a free sec, please drop a quick email of thanks for her pushiness. It would mean the world to her, and therefore, to me. Her name's Taylor and her email is 09 .**

**If I had to choose between a review for the chap or an email to her (not that I want to make that choice), without reservation, I'll tell you to email her. Thanks guys for all the support.**


	18. Chapter 18Show Closing Confession

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you already knew that. Additionally, I don't own any part of the music referenced in this chapter.**

**Once again, you guys rocked my socks off with your response to the last chap. I was extremely nervous about that one, and you guys made me feel like the king of the world.**

**As most of you noticed, the email for the baby didn't show up in the chap notes. There is a funky little hitch in Fan Fiction's system that won't let links through. But, several of you sent me PM's with your comments to her, and I was able to forward them to her. So…if you haven't had a chance, that seems to be the method that works the best.**

**Playlist:**

**Bring Me to Life-Evanescence**

**My Immortal-Evanescence (Band version, the distinction between this and the radio version will be important later on)**

**Broken-Seether featuring Amy Lee**

**I've said it before, and it's easier with fewer songs this time, but the story really does work better with the songs.**

Chapter 18-Show Closing Confessions

BPOV

We had played some of the new song over the last several weeks, but tonight was the first time we had played them back to back. I wasn't prepared for my reaction. I guess, in hindsight, I should have known, with everything that had gone on over the last twenty-four hours that I would get emotional singing those particular songs. But I was still unprepared for the surge of emotion that swept over me with each new song.

I had never cried as much during a show as I had tonight. But I had been powerless to stop the tears. Each song brought with it a wave of feeling that was uncontrollable.

So when we launched into "Weight of the World", I was relieved. The audience seemed to feel the same way. This was a song they knew, and while the lyrics were still tough, they seemed to take comfort in the wailing guitars and familiar melody. They responded very enthusiastically to the change in tempo and I noticed that everyone in the building seemed to be letting off a little steam with the head banging. So was I.

"Tourniquet" had been in the line up for a while as well, and I had always, from its first performance, dedicated it to Carlisle. But tonight, that seemed to be more significant. Would word get back to him that I had written a song about him? Would he be upset? Would he even care?

As Jane brought "Tourniquet" to a close with her keyboards, I took a few deep breaths.

We had closed the show with the same three songs for more than a year now. We'd had some measure of commercial success with them, and the crowd really seemed to get off on the line up. But tonight, I wanted to blow the fucking roof off the building with our close.

It was time to address the crowd and see if I could stoke the fire even higher.

The piano began the familiar melody for "Bring Me to Life" and they responded instantly. We had realized a while back that when performing this live, it worked better to let Jane play the keyboard parts in order to keep me upstage.

"All right guys, we're about to wrap this up for the night. You know the next couple of songs, so sing them with us. The louder you get, the harder we'll play"

"Life" had a fabulous beat to it. Slow at the start and roaring as it built into its climax. JP and I had written this very early on in our collaboration, and we had never lost the passion for it. From the first chorus, through the bridge, we screeched back and forth at other. The song was about feeling empty without Edward and I poured everything I had into tonight's version.

And I would not miss the opportunity to use my walkway one more time tonight.

The bridge was coming up as I made my way over to the left tower once more. My heart was hammering out of my chest and I could feel the electricity burning me as I climbed the stairs. I kept my eyes on the audience below very intentionally. I stood in front of the upper piano as I sang out the lyrics with every bit of volume I possessed.

"**Frozen inside, without your touch, without your love, darling. Only you can you**

JP turned his body toward me from the stage below and we sang back and forth as the song came reached its peak. The intensity in his eyes as he looked behind me told me everything I needed to know about what, or more precisely who, was directly behind me. I was painfully aware of eyes staring at me as I began my descent of the stairs toward the main stage to close the song.

The roars of the crowd drown out my voice in my own head as I held the last note of the song. They were picking up on the tension and passion that was building in the room and responding to it. I looked out into the crowd to see a wall of black and hair and fists pulsating with the music.

The noise level of the crowd didn't let up as I walked back to the piano on the lower stage to begin "My Immortal".

This was the first song I had ever written. I had sat at the piano in the huge empty house and composed it on the same instrument that he had used to compose my lullaby. I had spent hours and hours at that piano, teaching myself how to play. I think, looking back, I thought I would be more interesting to him if I could share his love for the piano. I had started by relearning the scales my teacher in Phoenix had taught me as a child. I then moved on to trying to learn more complex compositions. Then it was on to the lullaby he had written for me. I had spent weeks getting every note right. I didn't have a copy of it, but I knew I would still know every note the day I died. I had been able to play it for about two weeks when I realized there was another melody running through my head. Over the next few days, that melody became "My Immortal." It was by far the most personal song in our lineup and I never made it through the song without tears leaking from my traitorous eyes.

I played it harder than I ever had. I wanted him to hear everything I was thinking and feeling as I poured over the song. I wanted him to feel every emotion in each note. And if I was honest, I wanted him to experience the hurt that had become a permanent part of my soul.

"**These wounds won't seem to heal. This pain is just too real. There's just too much that time will not erase."**

I wanted to look up so badly; I felt almost no control over the impulse. But if I looked up and he wasn't there, I wasn't sure I could get through the rest of the song. And if I looked up and into his eyes, I **knew** I wouldn't make it through the rest of the song.

The bridge to the song was the most personal lyric I had ever written, and as I neared it, I realized my hands were shaking.

"**I tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone. But though you're still with me, I've been alone all along."**

The song was originally written with only the piano and just a little orchestration to accompany it. But once we had started touring, we had added the guitars and drums to the end. As the guys joined me, I hit the keys so hard that my fingers actually hurt. We were all in our own world as we brought it to a head.

I looked out into a sea of cell phones raised up and glowing. It was so surreal that I almost laughed. We only had one more song and we were done for the night.

And I still had no idea what to do about the left balcony.

Dimitri's acoustic guitar began the opening for "Broken" as I left the bench and made my way to the mike at the front of the stage. I was vaguely aware of JP talking to the crowd as my mind spun in a dozen different directions.

"All right Atlanta, that about wraps it up for us. We're glad you joined us tonight and we hope to see you Friday. We are…."

I was out of time.

It was a split second decision that I knew I would probably regret. But I couldn't finish the show without letting him know I knew he was there. I had no expectations that he would even care, but I physically needed to address him.

I stepped up to the mike and interrupted JP.

"Edward, I miss you. It never got any easier."

The full band kicked in at that very second and JP began the first verse. The song was another duet between us, so thankfully I had a few seconds before I had to open my mouth. My hands were shaking violently and I couldn't control my breathing as I sang the first chorus. I still had not looked up to the box to confirm what I knew was there.

JP's verse came to a close and I realized he was getting ready to introduce me to the crowd. Fuck, I had to pull it together for just a few more minutes.

"Ladies and gentleman, Miss Bella Swan." I stepped up to the mike and took the deepest breath I could before I opened my mouth.

"The worst is over now. And we can breathe again. I want to hold you high and steal my pain away. There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight. I want to hold you high and steal your pain."

JP and I sang the chorus together all the way through this song. I couldn't stop my self from looking much longer. The absolute need to look at him was quickly becoming all encompassing.

"Because I'm broken. When I'm open. And I don't feel like you're strong enough. Cause I'm broken. When I'm lonesome. And I don't feel right when you're gone away."

It was on the last line that I broke. I shifted my body to the left and looked directly into the box.

He was there.

In all his glorious, maddening perfection, he was fucking there.

And he was staring right back at me with an intensity I don't think I'd ever seen in his eyes. He was so beautiful it was almost painful. And his family surrounded him. All of them.

My legs shook and my breath stopped all together. Thank God there was a break here, because I could not have sung at that second if you had put a gun to my head.

The lights on JP and me dimmed at the same time the lights on the rest of the band came up. We had designed it this way to showcase everyone, not just the two of us. In the dark blue fog upstage, JP leaned his body toward me, never missing a note on his bass.

"You saw him, didn't you?"

I nodded.

"Breathe Bella. You can fucking do this. Remember, your playground. Just keep breathing."

My right arm wrapped around my torso and I was aware that JP was still looking at me as the full stage lights came back us and we began to build back up to the second round of the chorus.

The song became a blur of noise and bronze and heat and golden eyes. The next time I glanced at him, I realized that he was singing the lyrics. He knew the song. He was still looking at me and I recognized the pain in his expression.

Pain?

It was too much. The volume and the emotions and the lights and the crowd and the tears and him. But mostly him. As the song closed and JP once again thanked the crowd for coming out, I began to shake. The attack was coming whether I got off the stage or not. I could hear the familiar rush of blood in my ears and my eyes stung with fiery tears.

The moment that the stage went dark, I ran. I ran as fast as possible without a clue as to what was in front of me or which direction I was actually headed. The dark spots appeared in front of my eyes as I started down the stairs toward the hall behind the stage. My last memory before the darkness overtook me was hurling my self against the wooden door to what I think was my dressing room.

**Chapter Notes: Are we all officially EverClear groupies now? You know what I'm looking for…show me some love. Next up is everyone's favorite boy's reaction.**


	19. Chapter 19Flight,Fight & Twin Panic Att

A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that. Furthermore, I don't own any part of the music referenced in this chapter.

I promised you three, and so it shall be.

****Jumping up and down squealing**** You guys freakin' slay me with your support and kind words. You have to be the most incredible groupies in the world.

Edward's up, so we have a little more angst to go, but I promise it will be worth it.

You guys know what I'm looking for. Scratch my ears and make my tail wag.

Same playlist as Chapter 18.

Chapter 19-Flight, Fight and Twin Panic Attacks

EPOV

"Bring Me to Life" had been the biggest hit the band had had so far. And the crowd's reaction was proof to the enormity of their impending success. The noise level probably hurt the eardrums of the humans, but they could not have cared less.

When she ran up the stairs to sing the bridge of the song, I nearly collapsed. She was so passionate and powerful. But then I caught the eyes of the bass player staring at me. He looked right through me with fury emanating from him. His thoughts told me that he knew exactly who I was, and he was not happy that I was here. His eyes then switched to her and I knew that they were communicating.

She knew I was here. They'd had a conversation during the intermission about me and his advice was essentially "fuck him". And the son of a bitch had not only made a vulgar offer to screw her but the cock sucker had slapped her perfect ass as they made their way back to the stage. His thoughts replayed everything for me right down to the feel of her rear in his palm, even as they sang the song.

I imagined a hundred different ways to kill the mother fucker in the span of three seconds.

Alice and Emmett were on their feet dancing and singing with the song and even my parents were bobbing their heads in time with the music. I wanted to be amused at their display, but I had no room for consideration of anything except her and my barely controlled jealousy. I knew it was stupid and irrational to be jealous of him or anyone for at matter. I had forfeited my right to be jealous five years ago. But that made no difference as I fantasized about the various ways I could inflict massive amounts of pain on him before I killed him.

The last note of the song was impossibly long and it was only her unyielding power that pulled me from my homicidal musings. She held the note with an elegance that I had never before seen and my mind eased in the wake of her grace.

Then she sat at her piano and I knew immediately what the only song left for her to play would be

"My Immortal."

This was the first song I had discovered of EverClear's. Knowing what I did now, the song was even more incredible. She was indescribably beautiful as she sang, even with the tears flowing silently from the corner of her eyes. Each verse surpassed the previous in their beauty. But the bridge of the song brought me to my feet again.

"I tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone. But though you're still with me, I've been alone all along."

I thought, or maybe hoped, that she might look at me since she now knew I was here, but she was so intent on the piano that she didn't even raise her head to the audience. Fuck, she was really going to hurt herself if she hit the keys any harder.

"I thought humans held lighters up? When did flames get replaced with cell phone display windows?" Emmett asked Jasper.

"Technology, you back woods hick, technology."

The song was not the version I had on my Ipod. This one brought the entire band in at the end of the song. The effect was perfect for a live performance, but I preferred the other version. Just her and the piano.

Bella stepped away from the piano and began walking toward the front of the stage as the asshole bass player was speaking to the audience. She had a look of utter concentration etched upon her exquisite features. He was thanking everyone for coming to the show when she interrupted him.

"Edward, I miss you. It never got any easier."

My heart soared and my stomach plummeted as the words reverberated through the room.

She had acknowledged me.

She missed me.

But she would not look at me.

This was another duet and the words were powerful. This was about longing and need. Two emotions I knew all too well. Their voices blended perfectly, his rough and coarse, while hers was smooth and soaring.

He introduced her by name to the crowd and the applause thundered. Her delivery was astounding. I was quite sure the voice of God couldn't be any more beautiful. It was during the last line of the chorus that it happened.

"…and I don't feel right when you're gone away."

She looked at me. She stared directly into my eyes, with no hesitation. The flash of emotions that darkened her features was too quick to identify. I had waited five years to look into the chocolate pools of my dreams and the time had finally, mercifully arrived.

She turned her head before I could react. As the band took over she stepped back away from the mike and wrapped her arm around her upper body. She spoke briefly to the ass, but her grip on her waist tightened.

She glanced at me again only a few bars into the next chorus, but rather than the elation I felt the first time, fear shot through me. I didn't like the look on her face. It wasn't emotional pain. It almost looked physical. Her eyes were tight and her face was flushing rapidly.

"No, no, no Bella. Don't do this." Chip said to himself as he rose from his chair. He turned his body toward the center of the room and began waving his arms furiously. He apparently got the attention of whoever he had been flagging and made a cutting motion across his neck.

Something was very wrong. The panic in his thoughts was rising and one word caught my attention. Attack.

I looked to the stage as the lights were going down to see Bella running in a dead sprint across the stage.

Chip hurled himself toward the door of our room, me right on his tail.

"Edward? What's happen…?"

I didn't pause to listen to or respond to Emmett's question. I just followed the little man in front of me through a labyrinth of corridors behind the stage, my fear growing with each step. I recognized Carlisle's footsteps behind me.

As we rounded the stage, we entered a dimly lit hallway with multiple doors on one side. Several people stood in the doorway of the third opening, unmoving and not speaking.

"Move! Get out of the God damned way!" Chip yelled at them and they parted like the Red Sea. I recognized the people as the members of EverClear. He pushed his way into the room with Carlisle and me right behind him.

On the floor, face down and unmoving was Bella.

Chip was moving toward her when something hit me square in the chest.

"Don't you fucking touch her. Out! Get the fuck out! Mother fucker. This is your fucking fault. Do you see? Do you see motherfucker? Look what you did to her!" It was the fucking bass player. He was bowed up like a cobra ready to strike, scarlet red rage clouding his vision. He was almost incoherent with his anger.

I wanted to be furious with him for keeping her from me. I wanted to hate this man that had dared to touch my Bella. But he was protecting her. She was at her most vulnerable and he was keeping the predator away from her. I had to respect this guy, whether I wanted to or not.

I also had to move him the fuck out of my way.

"GOD DAMN IT, MOVE! I FUCKING LOVE HER AND YOU ARE KEEPING ME FROM HER. I WILL GIVE YOU TWO SECONDS…" My voice roared with white hot rage and enough volume to be heard out in the club. I caught sight of people covering their ears out of my peripheral vision.

Carlisle threw his body between us in an attempt to halt the escalating confrontation. But strangely, the guy's thoughts had turned sympathetic and respectful in the few seconds I had screamed.

"Please, I'm a doctor. Just let me look at her to make sure she's ok. Then we'll leave." Carlisle tried to diffuse the situation with his most calming bedside voice.

"JP, enough. Let them through" Chip growled at him.

As we moved into the room, my anger vanished and was replaced by sheer terror as I took in all that was before me. She was lying on the floor as if she had collapsed mid stride. Her hair was splayed all around her. Her chest was barely moving and her skin was pale as mine. She looked like a corp…no, I couldn't even think the word.

"Let's gently turn her over. On three." Carlisle directed Chip.

They rolled her to her back and her head rolled limply to the side. Her chest was rising with more ease, but she still did not respond to her name being called.

"Her pulse is steady and her heart rate is strong. There is no sign of injury, save for the bump on the forehead. I imagine she got that when she fell. Her lungs are clear and her breathing is steady, if a little shallow. Does this happen often?" my father looked at Chip for the answer as his fingers depressed the pulse point in her wrist.

Chip just nodded, never taking his eyes off her. He held her hand and was stroking her forehead with as much care as a mother for her newborn child.

"Couple of times a week. Sometimes more. Not this bad in a long time."

As I stared at her unmoving body, another vision slithered its way into my head. Bella on the floor of the ballet studio. Her body broken and bleeding. Unmoving and pale.

My chest began to heave and my breath became labored. I could feel the muscles in my body systematically locking down as my knees buckled.

"Edward? Edward! Son?" Carlisle called to me without moving form Bella's side.

I could not answer him.

"Edward, breathe." Only it was Chip's voice trying to calm me and it was his hand that reached out toward me and gently rubbed my shoulder.

"Edward, she'll be fine. Listen to me. She's just fainted."

I still could not answer him, but a tiny pair of arms wrapped around my shoulders from behind. I felt myself being lifted off the floor.

"Alice, take him outside. I'll be out shortly."

Take me outside? Hell no.

"No! I'm not leaving her. God damn it Carlisle, I'm not leaving." I struggled in Alice's arms only for a moment before a much larger pair of hands clamped down on me.

"Edward, relax. You're not helping her. She needs Carlisle without distractions right now. We'll go outside and Carlisle will let us know what's happening when he's done." Jasper drawled slowly in my ear from behind. A tide of calm attempted to ebb over me as he spoke.

He was right. She needed Carlisle right now. Not me. I was the reason she was in the state. I was always the one responsible for her pain, never the one to ease it.

Without a word I turned to the door to leave. But I couldn't make myself actually walk through. Not yet. I had to do one thing first.

I stepped toward her and kneeled at her side. I picked up her limp hand and brought it to my lips as I leaned my body over her. I hovered just above her ear, close enough to feel the warmth emanating from her body.

"Bella, baby, I'm sorry. I love you and I'm so sorry. Please, God, forgive me for doing this to you. Love, I'm sorry."

I touched the back of her hand with my lips and that long buried electricity shot through my body. I pressed my lips to her temple and then her hand once more before rising. Her heart rate quickened slightly.

I joined my brother and sister at the door and took one last look at the scene before heading back down the hallway.

Thirty-four minutes later, my father emerged from the club. It was still packed with people, but no one had paid any attention to us as we exited the building.

Alice was beside me holding my hand as I leaned against the hood of the Volvo. Jasper was on her other side, his arm around her shoulders rubbing reassuring circles on her arm. Rose and Emmett were wrapped in each other's arms, but very quite. My mother was sitting in the passenger seat of the rented Lexus that had brought them here from the airport, her head leaned back against the seat and her eyes tightly shut.

As he approached, a cacophony of questions in their minds inundated me.

"She'll be fine" he said, holding one hand up as if to quiet the questions before they began. "She hit her head on the floor when she blacked out, but there's no real damage. Just another healed contusion to add to her next x-ray."

Everyone chuckled nervously.

"How are you? No more attacks for you?" he asked me gently.

"No. I'm fine. My attacks can't actually hurt me. Their just uncomfortable."

"Just because they can't physically injure you doesn't mean they can't hurt you Edward. Why didn't you tell me they were that bad?'

"What would that have done, besides worry Esme?"

He nodded his head in agreement as he tucked my mother into his shoulder.

"She's too thin. She was slightly dehydrated and that added to the severity of the attack. It gave her much less for her body to fight with," my father lamented. His love for her was as genuine and fierce as it was for the rest of us. He wasn't concerned as her doctor. He was worried about the daughter that had been absent for so long.

"I know. But I think Chip takes as good a care of her as she will allow."

"That is an interesting little human." Emmett barked out in a nervous laugh.

"No shit" Jasper concurred. "Did you see him blast our boy here? That took balls."

"I can see why Bella gravitated toward him," Rosalie added. I looked at my sister closely. Her thoughts were not the vicious spew she normally reserved for Bella. There was concern and admiration in her tone.

"What?" she cocked an eyebrow at my staring? "So, I've decided she has more backbone than I thought."

Emmett kissed the top of her head and pulled her tighter against his chest.

"And how about the Nazi with the dreadlocks? I thought he was going to rip you to pieces right there in front of us," Rosalie snickered. I was sure he would have tried to shred me had I taken one more step toward Bella. And I was positive I would have killed him had he delayed me a moment longer.

"So what now?" I asked Carlisle without responding to Rose.

"She will most likely be out for a while. I told them to take her back to the hotel and put her to bed. They were moving her onto the bus when I left. Apparently there is a bedroom in the very back that they were going to put her in until they could get her to her room. Her body and mind have a lot to deal with. I gave Chip my cell number and told him to call me when she wakes up or with any concerns he has. I would advise that you go hunt."

"We just hunted yesterday."

"Bella is not the only one that has a lot to deal with right now Edward. I saw you in that room. You need to replenish yourself as much as she does, just in a different manner. Don't take this lightly Edward. I am concerned about you."

"Carlisle, really, I'm fine. I don't need to…"

"If you're so fine, why did your siblings have to lift you to your feet? If you're so fine why was a human able to stop you in your tracks with his own physical strength? Edward, hunt. It will do you good. I will call you with any updates I get. I promise."

"Please sweetheart, listen to your father."

I could have argued with Carlisle all night long, but not even for a second could I do the same thing with my mother.

"Come on little bro, we'll go with you." Emmett offered.

"Um, Alice…could you…um…"

"Of course I'll come with you." She turned to Jasper and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "We'll take the Volvo and meet you guys back at the hotel in a couple of hours."

As we left my family, there was nothing but silence in the car. That was why I had wanted only Alice to come with me if Carlisle was going to insist that I hunt again. Alice would not pressure me to talk, or make jokes about the situation. She was every bit as confused and concerned as I was. She loved Bella as much as I did, even if it was in an entirely different way.

After a few silent miles, I wanted to ask her the question that had burned in my head for the last half-hour.

She beat me to it.

"No, I didn't see it coming or I would have told you before she could fall."

"Why do you think that is?"

"Because her attacks are not a conscious choice she makes. It's a lot like not being able to see when she's going to yawn or when her stomach is going to growl. It's involuntary. Just like your episodes are."

"Alice, what have I done to her?" I tried to hide the desperation in my voice, but I was aware of my failure as soon as her eyes met mine.

"You hurt her Edward. You knew you would when you left though. I don't think any of us could have foreseen the effect this would have on either of you. But Edward, look at the up side to this."

"There's an upside?"

"Yes. She has grown into this amazing woman. She has people surrounding her that genuinely love her and care about her. She has a career that she never would have had. But mainly, Edward, she still loves you. As entirely and obsessively as you love her. Honey, there is a reason you two have crossed paths again. Fate will not be denied, no matter how hard you try."

"I want to believe that's true. But look at what happened tonight. One look at me and she's unconscious on the floor. If anything, I am more dangerous for her to be around now than I ever have been."

"Stop. I have listened to you beat yourself up for years now. And it has to stop now. If you are ever going to have a life with Bella, you have to make peace with what you are. She did. Years ago. It's time for you to follow her example. Do you love her any less because she's human? No, you don't, regardless of the danger she presents to you. Why do you think it's any different for her?" the anger in her voice was rising.

"Alice, it's differ…."

"No, Edward, its not. Stop fighting it. You are what you are and she loves you all the more for it. She is what she is and you love her all the more for it. It's a simple equation. You are allowed to be happy Edward. And she deserves to be."

I looked at my tiny sister in the seat next to me, but her eyes were clouded over. I listened for her thoughts to show me what she was seeing, but she was out of her trance in an instant.

"We're going to need to find somewhere close by. You're going to want to be back in the lobby of the hotel by 3 am."

"Why?"

"Because Bella will be downstairs in the bar. And you're going to talk to her."

My foot depressed the gas pedal at her words and we took the first exit off the freeway that we could find.

**Chapter Notes: How hot is jealous Edward ** fans self**!! Can we all guess what's up next? I think you guys have asked for it a couple…**

****Phone rings with incoming text****

**Chandler?-E**

**Edward? What r u doing?-C**

**R u done whipping my ass yet?-E**

**Aww, poor bb. Hard night?-C**

**U know it was. U owe me-E**

**LOL, what u want?-C**

**Head scratch-E**

**U know my rules-C**

**Yeah, gotta b in bed-E**

**And-C**

**Gotta be naked-E**

**U in?-C**

**Your place, 10 min-E**

**Did u tell them the name of next chap?-E**

**Think I should?-C**

**U better or no naked cuddles-E**

**KMA-C**

**That'll cost ya more than a head scratch-E**

**Next up: Bar Side Reunion, c ya 2morrow. E waiting for me, need I say more?**


	20. Chapter 20Bar Side Reunion

A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys new that already.

Words alone cannot express my gratitude for the support from all you guys. It truly warms my heart. And special thanks to everyone that had a shout-out for my baby girl. The smile on her face as she read your comments had me nearly bursting with happiness.

No playlist for this chapter, I figured you guys could use a break.

I think a few of you have been waiting for this chap, so let me know what you think when it's all done. I think it might surprise you.

Chapter 20-Bar Side Reunion

BPOV

I knew, as I became aware of my surroundings that I was not in the club anymore. And almost immediately afterward, I became conscious of the painful thumping in my forehead.

"Ow, fuck me."

"Well hello to you too, sweetheart."

I rolled my head to the right to see Chip sitting next to me with his back leaning against the headboard of the bed we were both on. My eyes felt glued together and every muscle in my body burned. Marcus was stretched out at the foot of the bed below us, sound asleep.

The memories of the night's events came flooding back and I groaned.

"Please God tell me that I at least made it off the stage."

"Yeah, you did. You actually made it to the dressing room before you blacked out."

I laid flat on my back and looked up at the ceiling of the hotel room. It was pitch black outside and the only light in the room was the muted television across the room. My head swirled with the tidal wave of thoughts that was inundating me.

"Here, take these and drink. The entire glass. Apparently, you're dehydrated, so drink up." He handed me two yellow pills that I assume were aspirin.

"How do you know I'm dehydrated?"

"The good doctor."

I bolted straight up.

"Carlisle! Carlisle saw me like that?"

"Uh huh. And your boy too."

"Oh fuck" I groaned as I fell back against the pillow.

"I was sitting with them. I realized what was going on and when I ran to get to you, they followed me."

There were a thousand different questions I wanted to ask him. But not one of them would actually form on my lips. I felt the tears welling in my eyes.

"He panicked. He flew after me to get to you. JP all but assaulted him when he tried to come into the dressing room."

"What? What happened?"

"Your boy went gothic on him. I swear I've never seen anyone so angry in my life. He was dead set on getting to you. Even as he screamed at JP, his eyes never left you. He actually had a panic attack of his own when he saw you unconscious."

"He what? How the hell does a vampire have a panic attack?"

"Same way you do, only without the blacking out."

I didn't know how to process this. So I asked a different question.

"What did JP say to him?"

"Typical JP. Called him a motherfucker. Screamed at him. But Edward gave it right back to him. I do believe, kitten, he would have ripped him to pieces had JP not stepped aside."

Overly protective and quick tempered. I guessed things really didn't change much. But why would he react that way?

"How long did they stay?"

"Edward and Alice…"

"Alice was there too?"

"Yeah, she followed Carlisle and Edward down to the dressing room. She got him on his feet after his attack. But anyway, the good doctor sent Edward out after about 5 minutes. He stayed another thirty to make sure you were ok. As a matter of fact, I need to call him and let him know you were awake."

He reached for his cell phone on the bedside table. I sat in silence as he dialed the number and put the phone to his ear.

"Carlisle, this is Chip. Yes, she's awake. She seems fine. A little groggy and her head hurts, but otherwise, she's ok. Yeah, I know. I will. Thank you."

He closed the phone and returned it to its place on the table. He turned toward me and pushed a strand of hair back behind my ear.

"You scared me tonight. I haven't seen you have one so severe in a long time. What happened?"

"I don't know." I huffed out my breath. "It was all just too much. Everything seemed to be on high tonight. And then of course there was him. It just all kind of crashed in on me."

"I know honey, I'm sorry. Can I get you anything? You hungry?"

"No, just sore. Thanks." I smiled at him.

"Do you want to ask me the questions in your head?"

"How do you know there are questions in my head?"

"You get this oh so unattractive crease between your eyebrows when you are thinking about something. And given the events of the last few hours, I am reasonably sure there is only one subject you have questions about."

I didn't know what to ask him first. I wasn't even sure I wanted to know what he had to say. But I couldn't hide my feelings from Chip anymore than I had ever been able to hide them from Edward.

"How is he? What did he say about the show?'

"Well, he's about as good as you. He looks like a Greek fucking god, but he is all over the place with emotions. Apparently, he has been a fan for several years. He had no idea you were who you are. He seemed to love the show. Except of course, for how you were dressed. He gave me shit for it, but the boy was pitching a tent the size of Mt. Everest for most of the first set" he chuckled.

I was more thrilled by that prospect than I had any right to be. I could feel the blush creeping up my neck as I processed that piece of information.

"He broke down during the second set. I blasted him and he calmed down until I realized you were in trouble. He took off like a bat out of hell after me."

"What did he say about the attack?"

"What could he say? But I'll tell you this much. When Carlisle shooed him from the room, he wouldn't leave until he told you that he loved you." Chip stared hard at me, apparently looking for any sign of another attack.

"You must have heard him wrong." The tears slid down my cheeks again and my voice broke on the last word.

"You need to have this conversation with him. But I did not misunderstand him. He very clearly said he was sorry and that he loved you. Then he kissed your hand and your temple and let his sister lead him out of the room."

"He kissed me?"

"Uh huh."

"He fucking kissed me and I was unconscious for it?" I shrieked.

"Shhh. You're going to wake Marcus and yes, he kissed you."

"I have been dreaming about him touching me for five God forsaken years and when he finally does, I am unconscious!" I had no idea why I was so angry. I kicked the heavy comforter away from myself and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to play."

He looked at me hard once again, but apparently was satisfied that I was not going to break down at this particular moment. "There's a piano in the bar downstairs, but I think it's already closed."

"Um, what the hell am I wearing?"

"I didn't want to disturb you any more than necessary when we got you here. So I just grabbed one of Marcus' shirts and buttoned it around you. It was easier than that awful tee shirt and sweat pants."

"Ok, sounds like bullshit to me, but whatever. I'm going downstairs."

Thankfully, the night clerk at the desk was a fan. He knew who I was and was kind enough to open the door to the bar for me. I suppose it didn't hurt that I was wearing nothing but a man's dress shirt, but I couldn't have cared any less. I just needed to play. There was too much that I needed to get out of my head.

I didn't close the door to the bar all the way, just enough to block out most of the sound from the lobby and I didn't turn on any of the lights. The darkness actually helped me as I struggled to control my emotions.

I sat on the hard bench and lifted the lid off the keys. They were worn and faded, but they felt inviting. My hands began to move over the keys and with each note I felt the some of the soreness leave my aching muscles.

I played a song that I had written a couple of years ago. It was an exception to the general rule of my songs being about Edward. It was written to Edward. I had never played it live. It felt wrong to play something so intimate to anyone other than the person it was about and I had accepted that it would never see the light of the stage. But the melody was calming to me, so I played it over and over. I had written lyrics for it, but I did not sing as I played. I just let the notes wash over me, taking some of the turmoil with them as they receded.

I was about 2/3 of the way through the fourth run through the song when the hair on the back of my neck stood up. At almost the same moment, the distinctive scent surrounded me. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, but I didn't stop playing until I got to the end of the song.

"That's beautiful. What is it?" the sultry voice spoke from behind me. The voice was as perfect as I remembered. Deep and inviting, like a cashmere blanket.

"Just a song." I whispered to him without turning around.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm ok. And you? I heard you had an episode of your own."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me please."

I could hear him moving around behind me. Getting closer. I was quite sure the noise was deliberate. There was no possible way he could be that detectable without trying to make his presence known.

"Did you like the show?" I asked, because all the other questions I wanted to ask him were just too hard.

"I don't think 'like' is the right word. I don't know if I even have the right word. That was the most astounding thing I have ever seen. I can't even describe what went on in my head when I realized it was you. You literally brought me to my knees. Not an easy feat."

I could tell he was closer, but not close enough for me to feel the chill radiating from his body or the icy bliss of his breath.

"Had you heard the music before tonight?"

"I've listened to the album thousands of times over the last two years. I only agreed to leave home because I knew the new CD was being released and I wanted to hear some of the new stuff."

"Where is home?"

"Near Crater Lake in Oregon. And you? Where is home for you now, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Seattle, when we're not on the road. I can't actually remember the last time I was in my apartment though."

He laughed his bell tone laugh. A shiver ran down my spine at the sound.

"Bella…"

"Please, don't say my name." I interrupted him.

"Why not?" he asked quietly.

"It hurts. It hurts to hear it" the tears had reformed in my eyes. Damn it, I was getting tired of crying.

"Please don't cry. It kills me to see you cry."

"How do you know…?"

"I can smell your tears. I smelled them as you left the stage tonight."

"Which time?"

"Both. I don't want to hurt you anymore. I never wanted that in the first place. I'm sorry."

I wanted to face him so badly I could hardly control my body. My breath felt heavy and my hands were trembling where they lay stationary on the keys. But I knew with every fiber of my being that if I turned to face him, I would crumble.

There was an awkward silence as the room as we both contemplated what to say next. I could hear him scuffing the toe of his shoe against the floor.

"Did you mean what you said tonight?" he asked in a voice just above a whisper.

"About what?" I was being ridiculous. I knew exactly what he was asking me about.

"That you missed me. Because I need to tell you that I have missed you every second of every minute of every day for the last five years."

"Yes, I meant it. I don't really know what came over me. I just couldn't leave the stage without saying it."

"I'm glad you did."

I wanted to ask him why he was glad, but the words wouldn't form.

"JP is probably going to kill me tomorrow for interrupting him."

"Would JP be the bass player?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"Well in that case, I think you're pretty safe. I think given the chance to commit murder, I am much higher on his list of potential victims." His voice sounded slightly closer.

"Chip told me he was pretty hard on you. I'm sorry. He can be a little unmanageable sometimes."

"Please don't apologize. I deserved his wrath. And I appreciated his protective nature toward you."

"Why? Why would you appreciate that?"

"I appreciate anyone that cares about your well being. He was ready to rip my head off in order to keep you safe. That takes a lot of backbone and a lot of love for you. Chip is even more protective than JP. Chip stood in a room with seven vampires and threatened me without a moment's pause. I'm thinking I might have to buy him an island or something to thank him properly."

I snorted. The reaction was childish and immature. But I was approaching overload again and I couldn't seem to keep my emotions in check.

He chuckled. "I haven't heard that sound in a long time. It's good to hear."

"Did you mean it?" I blurted out.

"Mean what? That it's good to hear?"

"No. Did you mean what you said in the dressing room?"

"With every cell in my body. I love you. I always have. I know you probably don't believe that after what I did to you. But I left for one reason and one reason only. I left to try and protect you from my world and the creatures that inhabit it."

"Don't call your family creatures."

"Your right. Maybe that's not the best word. I seem to be having trouble with semantics tonight. But that doesn't change what I'm saying. I lied to you. It was the most painful thing I have ever done in my life. I wished that I could die rather than do that to you. But I had to try and protect you from what I am. I couldn't exist if something happened to you because of what I am. So I lied. But I never stopped loving you. I could never stop loving you. You're my life and my heart and happiness rolled into one. Every moment the last five years, you have been the missing part of my heart."

He had moved close enough for me to feel the chill now. But I still couldn't turn around. I couldn't speak or move either. I was frozen to my seat on the bench with the weight of his words.

"Say something please. Scream at me, cuss me out, anything. But say something, baby."

The term of endearment shattered my hold on my tears. They poured from my eyes and splashed onto the keys below me. I was acutely aware that he had never called me that while we were together and it was painfully intimate to hear it now.

"I want to believe you so badly. I want to. But…" I didn't know how to finish the sentence.

He moved close enough for me to feel his breath behind me.

"Can I touch you Bella?"

I shook my head no. If he touched me, I would lose any hope of keeping myself together.

"Would you like me to go?"

I shook my head no again.

"I should actually get back upstairs" I slowly spoke.

The tears were flowing from my eyes as I stood from the bench. I slowly turned to look at him. He was less than five feet away from me, his hands deep in the pockets of his flawlessly tailored black pants. There was pain etched in his face as he stared back at me. He was so flawlessly perfect as he stared back at me with the same intensity I had seen in his eyes at the club. The combined effect of his words and his gaze was profound and terrifying.

"Would you like me to leave Atlanta? We were actually planning on staying through the weekend, but I'll go now if you'd like."

"No, you don't have to do that. Why are you staying so long?"

"I wanted to see all three shows. But I won't come to the others. I can see how hard it is on you and I don't want to do that to you."

"No, come. I should have my shit together by then. It's just been a lot to take in in such a short amount of time. I have spent years imagining what a reunion with you would be like. But I never quite envisioned a bar side reunion after an emotional meltdown.

"No, I guess you're right. I would like to see you again. If you decide that's what you want. However you want to do this, I'll abide by your wishes. Even if that means leaving all together."

"I'll let you know." I started toward the door of the bar, very aware that I was wearing next to nothing. Even in my emotional up roar, my traitorous body was responding to his mear presence.

I paused as I got to the door and turned to face him once more.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"How would you like this to play out? If you could write the story, what would the next scene be?"

"I would cross the room, sweep you into my arms and kiss you. I would wrap myself around you and never let go again. I would marry you before the sun comes up, and spend the rest of my existence making love to you and following you around the world."

There was no trace of humor or sarcasm on his face. He was either deadly serious or he had the world's best poker face. I was stunned into silence and stillness. My hands were shaking, but not in an attack kind of way. I was shaking with raw emotion. I had to either leave or throw myself into his arms.

"Edward, I have missed you more than I can tell you. But I need some time to straighten this out in my head."

"I'll wait for you forever. When or if you're ready, just let me know. Chip has my number and I'm in room 2901."

I left the doorway and made my way to the glass elevator once again. My head was spinning and my knees were weak.

As the car dinged its arrival, I heard my lullaby drifting out of the dark room I had just vacated.

I wasn't even conscious of the decision to return to the doorway, but just a few seconds later I found myself standing there, watching him play. I could not see much in the darkness, but his shape at the piano was evident, even to my human eyes. I stood motionless in the doorway until the song reached its conclusion.

"I play your song at my sound checks." I wasn't sure I had even intended for him to hear me. But he did.

"I haven't played that it a long time."

"Why not?"

"Because it hurt too much."

Silence stretched between us.

"Can I ask you one thing? I know I have no right, but would you do one thing for me?" He had turned his body slightly on the bench so that he could look over his shoulder at me.

"You can ask."

"Will you play it for me? Just once."

I nodded my head and made my way back to the piano. He didn't leave his perch, only scooted over to the left to make room for me.

He didn't speak or move as I played his own composition for him. I was more nervous playing in front of him than I had ever been playing in front of a crowd. My eyes filled with tears as I neared the end, just as they always did.

As the last note echoed around the empty room, he turned more fully toward me.

"That had to be the single most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed in my life" he whispered.

"Thank you. The composer had a lot to do with it." I looked into his face again, and although there was still pain there, there was also something else. Some other emotion that I could not let myself identify.

"Can I take you to dinner tomorrow?" he asked quietly.

I shook my head "no" for the third time. He hung his head low against his chest.

"I can't. I'm sorry. We have some promotional thing tomorrow night at a club owned by the guy from Blood Lust."

"I see. I'm sorry I asked. I didn't mean…"

"Why don't you come?"

"If it won't make it uncomfortable for you, I'd love to."

"Come. Have fun." The conversation was so inappropriately light for the situation it was comical. My state of mind was in utter chaos at the absurdity of the entire night.

He chuckled lightly. I tilted my head to the side in question of his reaction.

"What"

"I feel like I should ask you 'which beach' right about now."

I laughed lightly myself as I remembered the conversation that had taken place so long ago in the Forks High School lunch room.

"I should get back upstairs."

I rose from the bench and walked across the room with my head down.

"Thank you" rang out from behind me.

"For what?" I asked without looking back.

"For everything. I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Good night Edward."

When I returned to my room, it was empty. Chip and Marcus had apparently gone to their own room while I was down stairs. I fell into the bed, completely exhausted from the events of the night.

I slept more deeply and restfully than I had in over five years.

Chapter Notes: You didn't really think I was going to make it that easy did you? Let me hear it all, the yells, the screams and the "what the fuck"s. We'll get at least one more today, if all goes well in RL.


	21. Chapter 21The Evil Wonder Twins

A/N: I don't own any of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that.

Warning: Long ass author's notes ahead, please bear with me.

***Crying***You guys so made my day with your response to the last chapter. I was more nervous about that one than any other and you blew me away. I love everyone one of you that take the time to read. I love knowing that you guys are invested in these two. Please keep it up, I know its a little time consuming, but it really does make all the difference.

OK***fumes and huffs*** my ex has decided he doesn't care that it's Mother's Day this weekend, he wants his scheduled time. So baby is off to see the wizard rather than being with Mama Bear. I have decided that rather than hunt him down and kill him, I'm going to channel that energy into the story. I am going to shoot for a quad update today. Ambitious, but doable if I don't let my anger take over. You guys up for it? I know you are. This will get us ready for the next big scene. Let me know what you think.

We're gonna lighten things up a bit, but our story will keep right on trucking. By the way, did you guys say something about a certain citrus fruit that you wanted to see? How about a little peek?

Chapter 21- The Evil Wonder Twins

EPOV

10:47am.

When did Bella start to sleep so late?

"That depends…it's a Saturday, don't you want to sleep in?"

"No," she answered very quickly.

"The same time as usual, then."

I could still hear our conversation about our plans for our day in the meadow as clearly now as I did almost 6 years ago. The memory still made me smile.

Bella had asked me once if I had multiple personality disorder, and after the last 7 hours, I was starting to wonder if she'd had a point. I had alternated between absolute desperation and unbridled lust for the better part of the night. I had spent a large amount of time listening to every sound I could hear from the room below and a significant amount of time indulging in fantasies that would quite possibly have made Emmett uncomfortable.

_Bella, still fully dressed in the blue leather torture from the stage, straddling my lap as she ground herself into me. Her skin flushed and covered in a web of sweat from her performance. Her chest at mouth level, my mouth locked fully around one perfect breast and my hands palming her bitable ass, pulling her against me. Her sweet nectar dripping down cock as she rode me._

_Bella, dressed only in the white dress shirt, atop the piano in the bar. Her legs spread wide and inviting with my body pressed against hers. Her forehead against mine and her soft moans filling the dark air of the hotel lounge. Her arms wrapped around shoulders as I took her atop the worn instrument in a gentle rhythm._

_Bella, her back pressed to my chest, in the tiled shower of my room. The water racing its way down her body with my arms wound tightly around her. Her long wet hair plastered to my chest and over my shoulder. My hands gripping her sharp hip bones as the scent of her arousal swirled in the steam of the small room. Her arm wrapped around my neck and her head turned to kiss me as I thrust into her over and over and over._

"Ahhh…not helping here." I had just stepped out of the bathroom, fresh from the fourth shower of the night.

A whispered moan from the floor below caught my attention.

I threw my towel on the bed, stretched out on the floor between the mattress and the wall of windows and pressed my ear to the carpet. I had spent every moment I was not in under the hot water of the shower in the exact same position. It had been so long since I had been able to listen to my angel sleep. Yet from the first heart beat, I felt I was home. I knew every breathing pattern, every flutter of her pulse and every stir of her body. She had slept very deeply. There were no signs of nightmares or any other type of dreams. She had not spoken once as she slept.

"Oh sweet Jesus, Edward, put some freaking clothes on!"

I had not heard her approach and the shock of her voice triggered a defensive reaction. I sprang from the floor into a defensive crouch and growled, only to find Alice standing in the open door of the hotel room with her right hand covering her eyes.

"Don't you knock?" I snarled at her without rising from my crouch.

"I thought you would hear me coming down the hall way. What the hell are you doing on the floor?" She still had not uncovered her eyes.

"Listening."

"And you have to be naked to do that why?"

"Is there something you wanted? Or are you bursting into my room, uninvited by the way, just to piss me off? Wait, how the hell did you get into my room?"

"In your hurry to do whatever the hell you were doing in here last night, did you not see that the security latch had propped your door open? I thought you opened it for me." She had turned her back to me so that she was now facing the hallway outside. "Will you please put something on? I really don't want this particular visual of you."

"Not until you tell me what you're doing here. And for God's sake, quit singing Miley fucking Cyrus to block me. Pick any other song in the world, but quit that shit please."

"Well hello there pretty boy. My, my. I see where my girl's sex dreams come from." Chip had waltzed into the room, nearly colliding with Alice.

I nearly fell in my rush to grab the towel off the bed. He blatantly ran his eyes up and down my body and his thoughts told me it was solely to make me uncomfortable. It worked.

Alice turned back to face me as I wrapped the towel around my waist and the two of them laughed like an evil version of the Wonder Twins at my total humiliation.

"Well, Chip and I just had a lovely breakfast and we were discussing our plans for the day. By the way, did you know humans have a breakfast drink called a Bloody Mary. It smells disgusting but it was too entertaining not to order. But anyway, we were discussing our respective plans for the day, and we decided we are taking you shopping."

I looked into her eyes and her mind for any sign of sarcasm or humor. I was terrified to find no trace of either. What mortal sin had I committed to be sentenced to this particularly sadistic punishment?

"Um…Alice? I brought clothes with me."

It wasn't Alice that answered me though.

"Yes, but you brought clothes with you to do nothing but hide in a hotel room and blend into the wall of a nightclub. The rules of the game have changed pretty boy. I have decided, after what I witnesses last night and my conversation with Alice this morning that I am going to help you and that beautiful disaster downstairs find your way back to one another. And in order to do that, I need to get to know you better." He dropped himself into the oversized chair by the window as he continued his rant. "But you have to understand that she is not the girl you once knew. At least in public anyway. There is a certain persona that has to be presented. And if you are going to be with her, that persona has to extend to you as well. So run that tight little ass along to the shower and get dressed." He gave me the most shit eating grin I had ever seen.

"Oh, he doesn't need a shower. How man y times was it last night, Edward? Four?"

I would have paid for someone to kill me on the spot.

"Stamina, huh? I like you more and more."

"Fuck, Alice, can't you just pick something out for me? You do it all the time. I promise I won't even be an ass about wearing whatever you bring me."

Chip howled with laughter. He laughed so hard that tears were flowing from his eyes as he looked at me.

"My God, he's as whiney as she is. No wonder these two get along so well."

"I know. Lord, you should have seen what I had to go through to get the girl to put on a dress to go to the prom with him. It was nightmarish," she chuckled.

I heard the breathing pattern below start to change. It became shallower. He heart beat was picking up its pace. Bella was waking up.

I immediately tuned both of them out and dropped to the floor once again.

Her stomach growled as the sheets rustled.

"Good morning baby," I whispered. "Did you sleep well?"

She blew out her breath and I heard the comforter push back. Her stomach growled again.

"I'll get some breakfast for you angel. Save you from having to hunt something up." I spoke into the coarse fibers of the carpeting.

I rose up onto my knees and reached for the phone on the bedside table. I dialed room service and ordered scrambled eggs, fresh fruit and cereal to be delivered to her room.

"And add fresh orange juice and coffee to the order. Yes, delivered to 2801 but charged 2901. Thank you."

As I replace the phone into the cradle, I remembered that there were two other people in the room. And that I was still wearing no more than a towel.

It was odd to realize that neither of one of then seemed to have any thoughts screaming through their heads. It wasn't that they were blocking me, they were just blank.

"What?'

"You really meant what you said to me last night, didn't you? About marrying her on the spot."

"Yeah, I did. I told her the same thing last night. She didn't say anything." I hung my head a little at the thought.

"Edward, honey, that doesn't mean that she didn't react. You know Bella has always been a little odd in her reactions," my sister said patiently. "Just give her time. The only two things that matter are that you are both here and you both still love each other. All the rest will straighten itself out when the time is right."

Chip didn't say a word. Nor would he look at me.

It made me very nervous.

"You don't quite buy that do you Chip?"

"It's not that I disagree with what your sister is saying. But I think, and I may be wrong about this, that you may be looking at more time than you realize. Bella trusts no one. Bella opens up to no one. Bella sees it as a weakness to rely on any one. And as much as I am learning to like you, Edward, you are the reason for that. The worst thing that happened when you left her wasn't the depression or the panic attacks. It was that Bella lost her faith in herself. She lost hope. I think that may be the hardest thing to overcome for you two."

He looked at me with genuine sadness in his eyes. He loved her and wanted her to be happy. But a part of him didn't know if she could ever allow herself to be happy. After listening to the lyrics of her songs last night, I couldn't disagree with him.

"Was she playing when you saw her last night?"

"Yes, she was. Why?"

"Did you know the song she was playing?"

"No, I didn't recognize it. But I think it was one of hers. It was beautiful. Very slow and dramatic."

"Most of hers are." He smiled lovingly at a memory that was too fleeting for me to catch.

"All right, get your ass in gear. We leave in ten minutes. We'll meet you downstairs," Alice barked.

There seemed to be no way I was getting out of this. I tossed on the first thing my hands found in the bag beside the bed and ran a hand through my hair. I had just sat on the edge of the bed to put on shoes and socks when I heard the knock on the door one floor below me.

"Room service."

"I didn't order room service, sorry."

"Compliments of room 2901, Miss Cullen."

What? I could not have heard that correctly. It had to have been a mistake on the porter's part. He was confused because I had ordered the tray. That had to be it.

I resumed my position sprawled on the floor with my left foot still bare.

"Um…just a second."

The security lock turned and I heard the door hinges creak as the door was opened. The squeaking of wheels told me that the cart with her breakfast had been wheeled into her room.

There was a faint scratching against paper as she signed for the tray.

"No need miss. The tip has already been included, but thanks anyway."

"Oh, ok. If you're sure." She was as polite as ever and I imagined the shocked smile that would be on her face as she looked at the porter.

"Quite sure. Enjoy your breakfast Miss Cullen."

Cullen.

I had heard correctly.

She had not corrected him.

Bella had checked into the hotel under my name.

My long still heart seemed to thunder in my chest and I felt almost lightheaded with glee.

Suddenly, the day's trip didn't seem so torturous. I grabbed my other shoe and made for the door.

"Thank you," floated up through the carpeting so faintly I almost didn't catch it.

I knocked twice on the floor in reply and left my room to join Alice and Chip downstairs.

Maybe there was more hope for us than anyone realized.


	22. Chapter 22Gestures & Obligations

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that.**

**Huge shout out to all of you guys. The love for these 2 astounds me and makes it that much more fun to write. Special shout out to everyone that said such comforting things about my RL situation with the ex. It means the world to me that you guys care. **

**I gotta share these two with you guys. #1- Venomousgal has been a faithful reviewer since chap 1 and the first line of her review for Chapter 21 was:**

Since Edward finally took the big stick out of his ass, can I use it to beat

your idiot ex with?

**I all but fell out of my chair laughing.**

**#2- Livsmom, who is a massage therapist, sent me a perfect outline for the world's most relaxing bath to ease away the stress. Bath salts, candle light, music & wine. Only thing better would be Edward to rub my shoulders.**

**Another lighter one for you guys. Anyone in the mood for a little Bella/JP interaction?**

Chapter 22-Gestures and Obligations

BPOV

It was after 11 when I finally rolled over and opened my eyes. I was absolutely shocked. I could not remember the last time I had slept so well.

Yes, I could. It was a little more than five years ago. Before my eighteenth birthday and the nightmare that followed.

I stretched and threw back the covers to make my way to the bathroom. It dawned on me then that Chip wasn't in here. I also could not remember the last time I had not been assaulted by the Queen within moments of waking up.

This was going to be an unusual day.

I had just stumbled my way back toward the bed, intent on figuring out breakfast, when the pounding on the door startled me.

"Room service."

I didn't order anything, although they were apparently psychic.

"Compliment of room 2901 Miss Cullen."

Cullen. 2901. Oh, fuck.

As the tray was wheeled into the room, I noticed there were multiple trays. There was also juice as well as coffee. Way too much for one person. But if you had ordered a variety of choices, the sheer size of the tray would make sense.

It was him. He had apparently ordered several choices on the menu. Only Edward would do something like that.

The man in the red jacket confirmed that for me when I tried to tip him and he told me it had been taken care of. Typical, he would not have wanted me to have to worry about paying the guy.

"Enjoy your breakfast Miss Cullen."

Oh, shit. I was checked in under "Cullen." Please tell me he didn't know that. My face burned as I became more and more embarrassed with each passing second.

I whispered "thank you" as quietly as I possibly could to test the theory forming in my head.

A double stomp from the room above at precisely the right moment confirmed my fears. Ok, so maybe this day was going to be exceptionally unusual.

The next thought I had made my stomach turn and I was not even remotely hungry any longer. How long had he been in the room above me? Did he hear me and my pitiful display with the Popsicle? Oh, God, please tell me he didn't hear that.

The attack that I was expecting didn't seem to be making an appearance. Huh?

"Ok, Bella. Pull it together," I tried to encourage myself.

I sank back onto the bed, my head in my hands, and tried to calm myself.

I had just about returned to my normal color when another bang on the door startled me so badly that I slipped off the end of the bed and landed with a "thunk" on the floor.

I couldn't move.

Was it him?

Did I want it to be him?

Well that was ridiculous, of course I wanted it to be him.

The real question was actually was I ready for it to be him.

"Hey bitch, open the door." JP's voice echoed slightly in the empty hallway beyond the door. I sighed heavily as I realized it was disappointment that filled me as my friends voice called out.

"What, asshole?"

"Open up. Come on."

I yanked the door open to see him standing in the doorway clad only in a pair of shorts and vintage Chili Peppers shirt. His dreads were pulled back at the nape of his neck and he was barefoot.

"Let me in. I'm hiding." He stepped through the door without waiting for an invitation.

"Who are you hiding from?"

"My blond from last night. I'm supposed to be at sound check right now, but I just spied her in the lobby." He picked up the silver domed lid of the tray and nodded appreciatively.

"How are her hips this morning?"

"Well, she was walking funny when I asked her to leave at 5 this morning because we had an early sound check." His smile was menacing at best.

"Whore."

"Yup."

"You going to eat this?" he asked. Again, he didn't wait for a reply before he began to inhale the eggs, using his fingers as utensils.

"Gross, asshole. I was going to eat that."

"You still can. Here," he offered a finger full of eggs to me.

"No thanks. I don't even want to imagine where those fingers have been."

He smirked at me.

"You ok? Nice goose egg on your noggin'."

"Yeah, I'm fine" I said as I rubbed the knot on my forehead absentmindedly.

"What time did you come out of it?"

"Around 3. I went downstairs and played a while. I needed to let a lot out."

"I figured. Um, I probably need to tell you something. I blessed him out last night."

"I know. You really shouldn't have."

"How do you know?"

"He told me last night. I talked to him while I was downstairs. He said he deserved what you gave him, but you still shouldn't have."

"He did deserve it. But he took it like a man." He had moved on to the fresh fruit at this point. He was making a point of licking each piece of fruit before biting into it, effectively ensuring that no one else would touch it if he decided not to eat it.

"What were you thinking going all caveman like that?

"What the fuck do you think I was thinking? My bitch was out cold and he comes riding in like the Caped Crusader to save you. It pissed me off."

"You do realize…"

"What? That he's vamp? Don't care. The pissed off vamp, I can handle. Been there done that. To be honest, the dude that bellowed how much he loved ya was more frightening than the vamp."

I was side tracked by his words.

"What do you mean 'been there, done that'? You've never laid eyes on him until last night."

"Not him. Tanya. Bitch went nuts when I asked her to leave my room, early sound check again. Why do you think I won't let 'em book us in Alaska anymore? She'd fucking castrate me if I ever saw her again."

I couldn't contain the laughter. I laughed until I was folded over on my side and the tears leaked down my cheeks.

His shoulders shook with his quiet laughter.

"You are so sleazy, but God help me, I love you."

He winked at me, his mouth full of the wonderful smelling breakfast that I was apparently not going to get a bite of.

"He told me he loves me last night." The seriousness of the thought altered the mood in the room.

"Do you believe him?"

"I want to. I really want to. But I am so scared. What if he just feels bad about running into me? Or what if he does love me, but it's like the way you love me?"

"I don't love you. You're my cash cow," he snickered at me.

"You shit, I'm serious. I don't know what to do."

"What does your heart tell you to do?"

"Run into his arms."

"What does your head tell you?"

"Danger, Will Robinson, danger."

"Ok, so here's how I see it. Combine the two reactions. Approach him, but do it cautiously. See what he has to say. I, personally, would want an explanation from him. And for what it's worth, I believe him."

"I kind of already did that. I invited him to meet me out tonight."

"Oh fuck, that's right. We've got that thing at the other club tonight, don't we?"

"Yeah, I think I would rather pull my toe nails out with pliers than have to spend any time around that pig of an owner."

He snorted as he began pouring dry cereal into his mouth.

"So what do we have to do tonight?" He tipped the carafe of juice into his mouth, unswallowed Cheerios still visible.

"Same shit as usual. Be nice to the slimy friends, take a few pictures and maybe sign a few CDs." I didn't try to hide the disgust in my voice. I absolutely loathed this kind of crap. This was not a part of the job I had ever imagined or wanted.

"The club is what, jazz or something," he asked as he polished off the juice.

"Zydeco. At least the music should be good. The house band is supposed to have an Aaron Neville-like front man."

"I wonder what I could get my little blond to do for some Mardi Gras beads."

"Nice. Very Nice. Please don't tell me when you find out."

"Do you remember New Orleans last year?" The grin on his face told me he remembered our 2 weeks there very well.

"God, how could I forget? You got your ass whipped in an alley over a $10 pool bet and…"

"And Dimitri got so torn up; the fucker tattooed 'Spank Me' on his ass." He snorted as he laughed at the memory of Dimitri's face the next morning.

"And the Anne Rice Halloween Ball?"

"I don't really remember much of that. I woke up the next day with fucking fang marks on my neck and a chick next to me that scared the hell out of me."

"Whore."

"Bitch."

I rolled my neck in a circle, trying to crack the vertebrae.

"Sore?" He actually looked concerned rather than smart assed.

"Yeah. Between Tool, the show and the aftermath, I can hardly move."

"Tell you what; I've got two appointments at the spa on the 3rd floor. Meet me there at one. Two hour body massage, my treat."

"JP, we're on an expense account from the label."

"Shut the fuck up. I'm trying to be nice here. Just meet me there."

"Why two appointments?"

"In case, I wanted to keep my blond a little longer."

"Jesus, JP. Insensitive much?"

He left five minutes later, after thoroughly devouring the breakfast.

A two hour massage would help the tension. Lord knows there was enough of it.

Yeah, this was definitely going to be an unusual day.

**Chapter Notes: You guys know what to do. Make me purr.**


	23. Chapter 23Bacchus' Cellar

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that. Furthermore, I don't own any part of the music referenced in this chapter.**

*****Wiping tears from cheeks*** You guys simply blow me away. The support, the humor, the love and the ideas you guys have for this story is unbelievable. I wrote this more for my own pleasure (JP is tough to get out of your head once he settles in) but I could never have guessed at the astounding response it would have. You guys rock my world.**

**This chapter is going to start out light and get a little heavier as we progress. Big set up for the upcoming events and all. You guys know what I am looking for. Yes, I am a shameful review whore, but you guys knew that too.**

**Playlist:**

**Buck's Nouvell Jole Blon- Buckwheat Zydeco**

**Tell It Like It Is-Aaron Neville**

**Iko Iko- The Dixie Cups**

**Represent, Cuba-Orishas Featuring Heather Headley**

**These songs are slightly more obscure, but fabulous none the less. The first three are from the soundtrack to the movie "The Big Easy" and the last can be found on the soundtrack from "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights". Not absolutely necessary to listen while reading, they just give you a good idea of the mood of the club.**

Chapter 23-Bacchus' Cellar

EPOV

One of the few benefits of being a vampire was that I did not have to worry about things like sweaty palms or blushing. And that was a very good thing. If my body had been capable of such reactions, I would have been drenched in sweat and flushed we drove toward yet another night club. Only this time, I knew exactly what and who to expect, hence the present gratuity of my nature.

I had spent the better part of the day with Alice and Chip. I would have sworn that Chip was a vampire, had I not known better. He matched Alice step for step during the shopping excursion, and his enthusiasm for the task at hand was almost as palpable as hers.

They, literally, picked up hundreds of items, debated their merits and bought an obscene amount of clothing with the express purpose of "sexing me up" as I had been told. I could identify nothing significantly different in my appearance when it was all over with, but they seemed to think that I was more suitably dressed to be seen next to Bella in her club attire.

I felt like an undertaker. Black slacks, black silk shirt and jacket. The only identifiable difference I noticed was that the slacks seemed to be cut much too tightly in the groin.

I had picked Chip's brain all day for information about Bella. But Alice had apparently taught him a few tricks. The only information I was able to pull from his mind was what he wanted me to know. Otherwise, every time I tried to search, I was hit with a rousing chorus of Right Said Fred's "I'm too Sexy."

He had recalled for me, as best as his human mind could, his first meeting with Bella in Seattle. She looked so incredibly frail. Her eyes were rimmed with dark circles, her skin was sallow and pale and her hair had none of the luster that I had admired so many times. She had been a wreck. Her panic attacks were still new to her then, and her fright over the situation would have been evident to anyone looking at her.

He also recalled her reaction to losing Charlie. She had been almost lifeless after his death. I, once again, hated myself for not being there for her when she needed someone to lean on or wrap their arms around her and take the hurt away.

It had killed me to learn that she had not allowed any recognition of her birthday since that horrible night more than five years ago. Not a card, not a present, not a cake, not even a wish for a good day had been permitted.

Thankfully, he also replayed happier memories for me. Her first live performance, during which she looked equally terrified and excited, her exuberance over her own apartment in the high rise building that housed no less than eight of the EverClear musicians and staff. He showed me Christmas celebrations with Marcus and him, 4th of July fireworks from Dallas that had delighted her as they watched from the roof top of the club they had played that night and a rather hysterical Easter egg hunt her bass player had organized just this past April that involved a motorcycle, hand held fishing nets and most of them rolling around in the grass laughing.

I could not get enough. I wanted to know every ounce of information he could pass to me.

I had learned several things about Bella through Chip's memories. She had developed a rather naughty mouth over the last 5 years. "Asshole", "shit", and my personal favorite "fuck" were everyday parts of her once restrained vocabulary. But, surprisingly, I was very turned on by this. She had also become much more confident in her movements. The practice of performing every night in very high heels had given her a confidence she'd never had, not to mention a ridiculously beautiful set of legs. She was a perfectionist when it came to her music. He'd replayed several memories of her pouring over her piano and of her working with the other musicians as they staged each number of their show. She had also become much less embarassable. The band had initially taken great pleasure in tormenting her with things of a sexual nature, much like Emmett continued to do with me. But her tolerance for such innuendo had grown and she could throw mud with the best of them now.

Again, very sexy. Dirty talking Bella had been in my fantasies for years. And to learn that the actual person existed was beyond arousing.

It was dirty talking Bella that was currently in residence inside my head engaged in a rather enjoyably unspeakable act as Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and I pulled into the parking lot of the club I'd been given directions to earlier. Her presence was making itself known inside my pants and I was trying desperately to cover myself as we exited the car.

"Bacchus' Cellar?" Rose's distaste was evident to everyone in within ear shot. "This guy doesn't know the meaning of the word subtle does he?"

"Come on babe, give it a chance. We had a blast at Delirious last night and it was a lot worse than this place."

"Emmett, you went to go see a band named Tool! What kind of club did you expect?"

We walked past the line of people waiting to enter the club and went directly to the bouncer at the door. Before Alice could say a single word or pass the folded bills in her hand to him, he pulled the handle and waved us in.

"At least they have some idea about what kind of people to let in here," Rose spat as we entered the hallway that obviously led to the main stage and bar.

"Um, Rose, I hate to bust your bubble, but I think Bella had more to do with our entrance than we did."

I smiled at Alice as the shock registered in Rosalie's mind and on her face. She had never once considered Bella as more important than herself, and she was not handling the revelation well.

Chip had instructed us to arrive before the band. They would have to spend some time meeting special guests of the repulsive owner, having pictures taken and greeting fans. They had developed something of a routine for fulfilling these obligations, and according to Chip, they would all be in work mode for the first hour.

The club itself wasn't nearly as impressive as Blood Lust. It was your typical nightclub, complete with dance floor, a raised stage for the house band and tables everywhere. This place also had a balcony level with more seating areas. I claimed a table for my family and myself that would afford the best view of my Bella once she arrived.

As I sat at the table waiting, I was so nervous I could hardly sit still. I had not heard a thing from her room once we had returned from our excursion. She was either frozen solid or she had not been in her room after about five o'clock. It was now almost ten and I still had not seen or heard a sign of her.

"Dude, she'll be here. For the love of God, chill out. You are driving me crazy. This could be a fun night if you'll just calm down. The humans in here are hysterical. None of the angst and aggression that the crowd last night had. These people are here to relax or get laid." Jasper had been incredibly patient with me. I knew I had sent his gift into high gear over the last forty-eight hours. I owed him for working overtime on me, so I made a conscious effort to relax.

"The lust factor in here is off the chart. Aside from Emmett's bachelor party in '89, I can't recall ever being in a room so full of horny people." He laughed as he scanned the dance floor below.

"You fucking pig! You told me you guys went hunting!" Rosalie screeched at Emmett as his eyes grew wary.

"Damn, Jazz did you have to fucking out me like that? What happened to having a brother's back?" he pled as we watched Rose stomp away from the table. "Shit, this is going to cost me a fortune." The next moment, my brother shot after his wife.

"I'm guessing we won't be seeing much of them tonight."

I laughed along with Jasper and Alice as we watched their argument escalate across the room. Rose was all but erupting into flame with anger and Emmett looked like a scared toddler.

"Um, Edward, you might want to look toward the door right about now." My sister's voice was smug.

Jesus fucking Christ.

Bella had just walked into the club, once again surrounded by her band. She looked like sex personified. The strapless black leather corset against her pale skin made her look otherworldly. Her waist, never very large, looked tiny. The corset laced up the front and the effect was a perfect hour-glass shape. She wore an ankle length black satin skirt that was slit up to the hip on both sides. Very high heels and her choker laced through a wide leather band completed the look. Her hair had been straightened and hung like spun silk across her bare shoulders.

"Fuck bro, you have got to rein that in. Otherwise, I'm gonna have to fuck your sister right here beside you in about thirty seconds."

"Sorry," I mumbled without ever taking my eyes off her.

Something was odd though. I caught her scent at the same moment I had seen her, but there was something slightly off about it. The harder I looked at her, the more I noticed subtle differences in her appearance. Her skin was slightly flushed, even though she was walking very casually around the room, and her eyes seemed a little glassy.

"What's wrong with her?"

"What do you mean, Edward? She's fine." Alice looked at me questioningly and then at Jasper.

"Jasper, can you see if you can get a read on her for me? Something is off."

My brother looked at her very hard. I was about to be concerned until his lips broke out into a ridiculous smile.

"You aren't going to believe this." His smirk told me that I was not going to like his answer to my question.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Bro, Bella is fine. She's feeling no pain at all." He could hardly contain his laughter.

"Well, I didn't think she was in pain. But something is going on. Will you just tell me already?"

"Edward," he laughed again, "Bella is tipsy."

"No fucking way!" Alice seemed almost giddy over this news. She joined Jasper in his laughter.

"She doesn't drink. How the hell is she drunk?"

"She's not drunk, but she is a little lit" he snorted out through his rolls of laughter.

How in the world did that happen? I stared at her harder, if that was even possible. She wasn't swaying on her feet and she seemed perfectly in control of herself. But there were differences. Had I made her so uncomfortable that she felt the need to drink before seeing me again?

"Chip, darling," Alice called over my shoulder. I turned to see him wobbling his way toward our table. He did not look upset or disturbed in any way. "Sit with us, Queenie. We'll keep you company while they do their thing."

"Why thank you, Mon Cherie. I hate these things almost as much as she does. She looks fabulous tonight, don't you think? Versace." Alice nodded her head in agreement and approval

"Is Bella drunk?" I didn't mean to blurt it out quite so forcefully, but I was anxious as to the answer.

"Well, let me put it to you this way. JP and Dimitri convinced her to go to the restaurant with them for a little dinner before heading over here. They ordered a pitcher of iced tea to drink with their meal. What they didn't tell her was that it was Long Island Iced Tea. Apparently, JP thought she needed to calm down a little. Is she falling over drunk? No. Is she a little happy? Yes. Could make for an interesting evening."

His mind told me that while he was not happy about the turn of events for tonight, he wasn't overly concerned either. I trusted his appraisal of the situation and with that in mind it was easier to relax a little.

"Looks like I might get to see a side of Bella I've never experienced before." I smiled at the thought of getting to spend any amount of time experiencing Bella.

The music in the club was fabulous. I didn't often listen to Zydeco music and I was questioning myself as to why I didn't do it more often. The house band was extremely good. The singer was a dead ringer for Aaron Neville. The accordion and the saxophone were sultry and energizing. This was an entirely different element than that of Blood Lust and I was determined to make the best of it.

I stretched my legs out in front of me and settled into my chair to watch Bella as she worked the room. God, she could not have been any sexier if she tried. She smiled innocently at everyone she was introduced to, posed very naturally for photos when asked and seemed very much in control of everyone around her. The thoughts of every man that she was in proximity to were vulgar and lustful. But for once, I didn't get angry. My thoughts, as I watched her, were far lustful than any of the men near her.

She laughed lightly at something that had been said and bit her bottom lip. She tossed her hair over her shoulder to avoid continuing the conversation and looked around the room. Was she looking for me?

I had been completely ignoring the conversation at the table during my blatant ogling of Bella. So I was somewhat shocked when Jasper kicked my leg to get my attention. I turned to look at him with an insult ready to fly, but all three sets of eyes were looking at me expectantly.

"What?"

"I asked if you had ever seen Bella dance." Chip looked at me like he knew exactly what I had been thinking as I stared across the room.

"Well, yeah, I guess so. We did go to the prom together our junior year."

"No, I mean have you ever watched her dance with anyone else?"

I didn't like where this was going. And apparently, the expression on my face said just that.

"Don't get pissy. She and Marcus dance together. They are particularly good at the salsa. You want to see?"

"Bella? Bella Swan? Doing the salsa?" Alice's eyebrows were raised almost to her hairline in surprise. "This I have got to see." Her thoughts were not unkind, just astounded. I hated to admit it, but mine were too.

Chip chuckled lightly as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. A quick conversation later he looked to the dance floor just in time to see his partner speaking with the DJ. Marcus looked back at Chip and nodded his head slightly.

"No jerking off at the table." Chip was looking at me and pointing his finger at me as if I were a naughty child being told to be polite at the dinner table. Alice and Jasper both howled with laughter.

I opened my mouth to tell him to fuck off, but the music had changed. A decadent Latin beat filled the air. The drums and the guitar of the song were erotic and low. I was not prepared for what was to follow the steamy music.

Marcus walked to Bella's side and placed his hand on her lower back. He leaned in to whisper in her ear as he took her left hand. She smiled lovingly at him and allowed herself to be lead to the dance floor. He stopped in the very center of the tiled floor and pulled her to him, their arms extended.

When she began to move, I almost came.

Her hips swayed in perfect time with the rhythm of the music. Her ass looked absolutely edible as it undulated from side to side. The footwork of the dance was quick, but she executed every step with grace. The tight turns he led her in were incredible to watch, mainly because the high cut in the skirt showed every inch of her leg. Her hair whipped about her like it had a life of its own. She ground her hips into his and his hands lightly stoked the outside of her upper thighs. I had never been more turned on in my life.

"Ugh…are you trying to fucking kill me?" I could not suppress the moan that left my mouth, nor the raging hard on that was quickly becoming painful, as I watched her allow her back to be forcefully pulled against his chest. His arm wrapped around her waist and she pushed her perfect ass into his groin.

Alice was perched in Jasper's lap and the two of them were in hysterics at my obvious enjoyment of the scene below me.

"I cannot believe that is Bella," Alice snorted through her laughter. "You would not believe how awkward she used to be on a dance floor."

My mind told me to defend her against Alice's criticism, but my mouth would do nothing except hang open. The venom pooled almost uncontrollably in my mouth. I felt like one of Pavlov's dogs as I stared at the exhibition in front of me.

Much too soon, the song came to an end. Marcus kissed the top of her hand and she turned to her right and walked away. I lost sight of her as she exited the dance floor.

"Holy. Shit. She really has changed." Jasper seemed as amazed as I was at her gracefulness.

"She and Marcus used to dance only in the hotel room. He was on an Antonio Banderas kick for a while, and she was his partner in crime. I don't quite have the figure for it. But we realized that if they danced in public and everyone thought they were a couple, people were less likely to proposition her for other… activities." Chip turned his body toward me and obviously eyed me up and down. "You know, you really ought to let your sister dress you more often. You look like an Anne Rice vampire. It's very sexy."

"Um, thanks, I think. Don't take this personally, but I'm only concerned with what one particular human thinks of the way I look."

"I know, pretty boy. But you know, you're girl does have a thing for mythical creatures."

I smirked.

I had still not been able to catch sight of Bella and I was growing more anxious by the second. I was tired of waiting to see her, to talk to her. I was just about to ask Chip to call Marcus, when he strolled up to our table. Alone.

"Hey Queen. I missed you."

"Oh, I missed you too, Sweetie."

"Marcus, where is Bella?" My anxiety was growing quickly. I had thought she was with him.

"I think she walked out to the balcony. She said something about getting something to drink and some fresh air."

"Thanks," I called over my shoulder as I made my way down the stairs. I wasn't really sure where the balcony was, but in a club this size, it couldn't be too hard to find.

To the right of the staircase, I found two large glass doors. As I stepped through them, her scent hit me. The humid Georgia air seemed to bathe me in her fragrance. The patio was made of stone. A wrought iron railing enclosed it and every few feet were torches that were apparently supposed to recall the French Quarter street lamps. An older upright piano was to the left side and there were several wrought iron tables and chairs scattered about.

She was sitting in one of the chairs closest to the railing. On the table beside her was a bottle of amber colored liquor and a single glass. Her hair fell to below the seat of the chair she was in and her legs were stretched out in front of her with her ankles wresting on the railing in front of her. The slit in the skirt had allowed the material to fall away from her frame, so that every decadent inch of her leg was exposed. The frighteningly high heeled shoe that was tied at her ankle made her already long legs look positively endless.

"I didn't think you had come," she whispered.

"I wouldn't have missed the chance to see you."

"How long have you been here?"

"A little more than an hour." Her head whipped around forcefully to look at me over her shoulder.

"Oh, God, so you saw Marcus' display on the dance floor?"

"Yes, I did. I have to tell you, watching you dance is quite possibly sexier than watching you sing. Neither can top watching you play though. **That** is a down right sinful thing to behold." I could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as I spoke.

She was silent for several seconds as she looked at me.

"Have a seat, Edward," she finally said as she used her foot to push a chair away from the table for me. I crossed the stone patio quickly and scooted the chair slightly closer to her as I sat.

"You look amazing." I hoped that she didn't catch my gaze as it caressed her legs, still stretched out in front of her on the railing.

"Thanks, so do you. Chip?" She laughed as she guessed at my stylist.

"And Alice. I was subjected to a double dose of shopping torture with them today."

"Oh, God, how did you survive?"

She lifted the glass to her lips and took a tiny sip. Her face was pinched as the liquid burned its way down her throat.

"More ice tea?"

"How do you…never mind. No, this is tequila. I figured if I am going to be sick tomorrow, I am at least going to have some knowledge of how I got there." Her words were not slurred, but her speech was slightly slower than normal.

"You know what they say about drinking alone," I teased.

The wicked grin that spread across her face was stunning and slightly scary at the same time.

"Then grab a glass. Don't make me drink alone."

"You do remember that I can't get even slightly inebriated by drinking that, don't you?"

"It's the principle of it."

I walked back to the bar slightly faster than a human pace and grabbed an empty glass. When I returned to my seat seconds later, she looked surprised.

"What?"

"I didn't think you'd do it. You have changed."

"Surprise, surprise. So, are you going to let me join you?"

She lifted the bottle and poured until the glass was more than ¾ of the way full. The liquid inside looked like human urine and smelled repugnant. I sniffed once and involuntarily turned my head away from it.

She laughed at me.

"You drink blood, but a little Patron scares you?" she challenged.

I downed the horrible liquid in one gulp. I could feel the acidity burn my throat.

"Ugh…how do you drink this shit?"

Her eyes widened, obviously at my language, and then settled into an amused expression.

"I don't usually. Apparently, I've been worked up today."

"Why would you be worked up?"

She cocked her eyebrow at me but did not say anything.

"This might possibly be the first thing I've ever encountered that is worse going in than it will be coming out."

"Ugh…please don't talk about that. I don't need to visualize anyone vomiting while I'm trying to swallow this crap down." The look of displeasure on her face was almost comical in its exaggeration.

"Fair enough. So, what can I talk about?" There were a thousand different things I wanted to ask her about. Some of them were very trivial and others were very serious. But all were vitally important to me.

"What do you want to know?" She took another sip and winced.

"Everything." I leveled my eyes at her and willed her to see that I meant what I said.

Her heart rate sped up considerably and her skin flushed. Sitting there in the moonlight, her lips slightly parted, she looked like a goddess straight from my dreams.

"No fair. No dazzling me, I'm out of practice resisting." Her heart beat had not slowed its sprinter's pace.

"Why would you have to resist?"

"Oh, come on. Like you don't know the effect you've always had on me. Five seconds of that and I'm likely to tell you my deepest darkest secrets."

I was counting on that.

But she was right. It wasn't fair to use my advantage, so I dropped my eyes to the flagstone patio below us. I rubbed my hands up and down my thighs in a nervous attempt to calm myself.

"Ok, let's try something. It worked for us once." I didn't miss the scowl that crossed her face. I didn't think I had ever been more frustrated at not being able to hear her mind.

"What? What do you want to try?" Her eyes were wary, expecting something much worse than what I had in mind.

"Do you remember that night in Port Angeles? We played kind of an altered version of Twenty Questions?" She nodded. "Well, we both seemed to get some of the information we were looking for that night. So how about it? You up for another round?"

She drained her glass of the remaining liquid and reached for the bottle.

I beat her to it and refilled both glasses, making sure to pour more of the vile substance into my own glass. I didn't want her to feel any worse tomorrow than necessary.

"Ok, you first." Her eyes were guarded, but not angry.

Where the fuck did I even start?

**Chapter Notes: Lots of fluff and fun today. We get back into the meat of the story tomorrow. You guys know what to do in order to inspire me to crank out the chaps. Pet my head and scratch behind my ears…make me purr.**


	24. Chapter 24Hard Questions & Soft Dancing

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that.**

**I swear you guys are better than a naked Edward. The love and support for this story has simply blown me away. I wish I had something better to say than "Thank You" because it feels so inadequate. **

**I try very hard to respond to each review and PM that you guys send me. I read and cherish every one of them, but if I somehow missed one from you, please know that it was simply an over-sight on my part. **

**This chap makes reference to one of SM's extras on her website. If you haven't read the New Moon extra regarding Bella's scholarship, you might want to do so before you read this chapter.**

**Playlist:**

**You Can Never Tell- Aaron Neville**

**Tipitina- Professor Longhair**

**Closer to You-Dennis Quaid (yes, the actor Dennis Quaid)**

**The last two songs can be found on the soundtrack from the "The Big Easy"**

**On with the show…**

Chapter 24-Hard Questions & Soft Dancing

BPOV

"Ok, you first"

I sat as still as possible while I waited for him to begin. The moment felt impossibly surreal. I was on a patio, drinking tequila of all things, with Edward. And this was a very different Edward. He looked absolutely perfect, as always, but his mannerisms were not at all like I remembered. He seemed to making an effort to not hide anything from me. Not his emotions or discomfort or desires. He seemed nervous and unsure of himself, not at all like the cocky man from so long ago. He was not the slightly overbearing man that I remembered. His displeasure with the tequila was evident, but he had not said a single word to try and sway me from my admittedly poor choice. He was being much less careful with his speech and gestures. He seemed vulnerable and brazen at the exact same time.

If it was possible, I wanted this Edward more than the Edward of my past.

"When did you start playing? I damn near lost it when you sat at the piano during "Imaginary'."

"You knew 'Imaginary'?"

"I told you last night, Bel…sorry. I told you, I have listened to the album thousands of times over the last couple of years. I know all of your songs, at least the ones from the first album."

I smiled involuntarily. I absolutely loved that he had listened to the songs so often.

"But you still haven't answered me. When?"

"Four and a half years ago. I started playing about six months after…" I couldn't finish the sentence. He seemed to understand my hesitation.

"What prompted you to start playing?"

"Pacific Northwest Trust."

His eyes grew wide. The shock on his face quickly transformed into a sheepish expression I wasn't sure I'd ever seen. As far as I could remember, I had never seen Edward look embarrassed about anything.

"Explain please."

"I was furious when I got the news of my 'scholarship'. So I closed my bank account. And then the check showed up at my house a couple of weeks later. So I tore it up. A few weeks later…"

"The cash showed up," he finished for me.

"Yeah. So I drove to your house and threw the box through the window. But I felt bad about the broken glass. So I went back the next day. I don't know how I was actually planning on fixing it, but I went back and went inside. I stood in the foyer and just looked at everything covered in sheets. The hardest thing to see covered was your piano. I don't know how long I sat at the bench before I touched it, but it was a while. I just sat there and stared at the keys."

I noticed that his breathing was much heavier than normal and he seemed to be shaking. His right hand was continually fidgeting with the glass in his left hand.

"So that started my pattern," I continued. "On the days I didn't have to work after school, I went to your house. After a few visits, I started to play basic scales I remembered from my lessons in Phoenix. I just kind of progressed from there. I found that I can play by ear. I can't read or write music, but if I hear it, I can play it. My lullaby was the first real song I taught myself. God, it took me forever to get it just right. I played it over and over for weeks."

His head was down and his shoulders seemed to be slumped over toward his lap. He was not looking at me.

"I had been playing it for about 3 weeks when I realized there was another melody floating around in my head. That turned into the first song I ever wrote."

"What was the song?" His voice was shaking, but he did look at me when he asked the question.

"My Immortal. I know, way to obvious a title. But I was new to songwriting." I forced myself to look him in the eye as I spoke. He chuckled humorlessly and his hand reached out toward me. He quickly jerked it back before it made contact.

The banter between us continued for a long time. He wasn't exaggerating when he said he wanted to know everything. We talked about Charlie and Seattle. We talked about the band and tour misadventures. But we seemed to avoid the really tough subjects. Subjects like him leaving, him reappearing, our conversation last night and what the last 24 hours meant for our futures.

"What's your favorite city to play?"

"Seattle."

"Least favorite city?"

"Oh, that's harder. Probably somewhere in Texas. It's too damn humid."

"What do you miss most about me?" His voice betrayed no hint of the seriousness of his question. But mine did when I answered.

"Your arms. The way they feel wrapped around me."

"What do you miss the least?"

"The self-hatred." He nodded his head very slightly. My hands were now shaking as I reached for the forgotten glass on the table.

He inhaled deeply and looked at me again. His face was freed of the weight of the last few moments as he asked his next question.

"What's your favorite song to perform?"

"Taking Over Me." He nodded and told me that had always been his favorite song.

"Least favorite to perform?"

"My Last Breath." He snorted at that.

"What?"

"Mine too, but for very different reasons I suspect. I actually fell out of my chair last night when the lights came up. You quite literally knocked me on my ass, just ask Alice. I almost took her out with me. I was not prepared for the…ah, costume."

I could not suppress my laughter. The thought of any vampire, much less steady and proper Edward, falling out of a chair was hysterical. Whether it was the ridiculous circumstances of the conversation or the tequila, I wasn't sure. But I laughed until my eyes watered and my side cramped. I was trying to regain some of my composure when I caught the look on his face.

His eyes were black as pitch and his mouth was drawn in a tight line.

"What?"

"Um…nothing."

"No dice. I've answered everything you asked me, so what is it?"

He huffed out a breath and looked at me very hard.

"I was just thinking that you are without a doubt the most beautiful creature on the planet when you laugh. And I was thinking that when I saw you in that blue leather last night, all I could think about was that I was an utter and complete fool for ever pretending I could live without you. I also could not help but think that I wanted nothing more than to find a very large bed and show you just exactly how much I love you."

The laughter and any trace of my humorous mood vanished on the spot. This was definitely a different Edward. My Edward had told me countless times how much danger our physical relationship would put me in and how certain parts of that relationship would never be possible. But here he was, in essence telling me that he loved me and that he wanted to fuck me. The two things I had wanted for the last 6 years were laid before me, waiting for me to respond.

My skin began the blush that I knew it would give my thoughts away. I either needed a diversion or I needed to throw myself into his arms. As much as I wanted to go with option two, I wasn't ready for that quite yet. So, I went with diversion.

"I need to play. My head is spinning in a hundred different directions and playing always clears my mind." I looked out into the darkness beyond the patio in a vain attempt to focus on anything other than his smoldering eyes.

Thankfully, his eyes softened and he looked over his shoulder. In the corner of the patio was an old upright piano. It looked weathered and somewhat abused, but inviting none the less.

"Want to?" His eyes danced with mischief as he cocked his head toward the piano.

"I'm not very good at Zydeco. I only know a couple of songs. It would be embarrassing."

"Bullshit. That's ridiculous; you play in front of thousands every night. There's no one out here but us. Come on, I'll play with you." He rose from his chair and drained the glass that had been forgotten in his hand for some time now. His face screwed up into a comical expression.

"Do you play Zydeco?" I had never heard Edward play anything except classical. I could not imagine him playing the bluesy funky music that had surrounded us all night.

"I'm offended," he mocked me with an exaggerated gesture of hurt. "I have been to New Orleans several times. I think you're just trying to get out of playing." His challenge was not subtle. He still knew me well. Tell me I couldn't do something and I would all but kill myself just to prove you wrong.

As we sat at the creaky bench, we decided what song we could both play. His long fingers stretched across in front of me. The opening notes rang out against the quiet of the night. The house band was apparently taking a break and the only noise from inside the club was the muffled chatter of the crowd.

As we begun the song, we went back and forth with each line. He seemed genuinely impressed that I could execute the notes and I was more relaxed than I had been all night, even sitting within inches of him.

Only thirty seconds into the song, I became aware that the band had started playing again. The noise from inside seemed to grow louder and I realized it was because the French doors had been opened.

"I think they heard us. They're playing with us." He leaned his body toward me, and I felt his lips brush my hair. The familiar electric pulse shot through me with the force of a bomb.

I realized he was right when I heard the Creole-laced voice ring out the lyrics that I had never been able to understand. But I was oddly comfortable. We continued to play, side by side, as if there was no one around for miles. The tempo of the song was so fast and our fingers flew across the aged keys. I chanced a look at him and was met with a brilliant smile. He was enjoying himself as much as I was. The song's second verse arrived and we continued to play, both our bodies swaying with the movement of our arms.

I was aware of being watched from behind, but in that moment, I could not have cared any less.

As the song's end neared, we both began to try and outdo the other. His hand reached across my arms just seconds before my fingers fell on the keys. So I, naturally, returned the favor. I didn't have a hope of moving his fingers out of the way, but he allowed me to play the keys that should have been his.

The song came to an abrupt end and our fingers came down hard on the keys. We turned to look at each other at the same moment and I saw absolute joy shining in his eyes. I'm sure my own eyes reflected the same emotion.

A chorus of claps and cheers came from behind us. In the doorway stood Alice, Chip, Marcus, JP and Jasper. Chip was smiling broadly and I could see tears shining in his eyes. Marcus and Alice had their arms around one another and were beaming identical smiles at the two of us. JP and Jasper looked oddly alike as they leaned against opposite doorways, shaking their heads slightly and grinning.

Edward stood from the bench and grabbed the bottle and both glasses from the table. He poured two shots at the same moment he sat back down on the bench. He handed me my glass and raised his slightly in front of him.

"To kicking some Creole ass."

I nodded my acknowledgment of his toast and then touched my glass against his. We both threw our heads back as we shot the tequila and slammed our glasses down on the keys at the same time.

"God damn, he really has lost it," Jasper muttered. Alice and Chip laughed hysterically.

I became very aware that the music had changed from the up tempo rhythm that had just ensconced us into a slow, sultry beat. Edward's eyes met mine and they were still shining. But the emotion had changed.

"Dance with me?" He held his hand out in front of him.

I just nodded as I placed my hand in his. It was the first time in almost five years that I had touched him. The icy feel of his skin was just as I had remembered. Every hair on my body stood on end at the contact. As we rose from the piano bench, I noticed that our audience had disappeared.

We took only a few steps away from the piano bench before we faced each other. The night air was thick with moisture and there was a breeze. I felt the winds lift my hair away from my neck slightly and Edward inhaled deeply.

We stood as far away from each other as possible. My hand barely made contact with his shoulder and our arms were extended out. It was a very awkward formal stance but neither of us seemed comfortable with much more. There was simply too much tension in that moment.

As we began to sway to the music, I intentionally let my gaze fall over his shoulder to a small-planted tree against the wall. I could not look him in the eye, regardless of how badly I ached to. My composure would simply not allow it.

After just a few moments, Edward bent our arms inward toward our bodies and laid our joined hands against his chest, his finger slowly stroking the back of my hand. The change in position startled me out of my blank stare and I looked at him. His eyes were locked on mine. He took a very small step forward as he changed the motion of his body. Rather than the reserved back and forth swaying, he simply swayed his hips, his knees bending slightly with each small step he took

I noticed the lyrics of the song at that moment.

Just makes me wish I, wish I could be.

**Closer to you.**

**Closer to you. **

**Wrapped in your loving arms.**

Holding you tight.

It was during the last line that Edward stretched the hand on his chest up and wrapped my hand around the back of his neck. He ran his fingers down my arm and placed his open palm between my shoulder blades. At the same time, the hand that had been barely resting on my hip slid to the middle of my lower back. He closed more of the distance between us, leaving only a couple of inches.

I could not take my eyes off of him. I was absolutely entranced with the heat of his gaze. He stared back at me with all the intensity that I felt in that moment. The saxophone of the song was sensual and needy, its tones only adding to the fire growing between us.

He leaned forward slightly and rested his forehead against mine. My fingers began a slow trace through the hair at the nape of his neck and he moaned in satisfaction. We didn't move from our starting spot, just simply rocked back and forth, our hips swaying together in an erotic pattern and our eyes never breaking contact.

If I said that I loved you

**Would you turn away**

**Afraid of what your suppose to say**

**Well that's all right baby**

Cause I already know

I closed the remaining inches between us and wrapped my arms full around his neck and shoulders. My right hand tangled fully into his hair and my left hand gripped his back with all the strength I had in my body. The hand he had placed on the small of my back snaked its way around my waist entirely. His other hand moved from my back up to tangle into my hair. He pulled my head toward him gently and we simultaneously buried our faces into each other's necks. I could feel his nose skimming the skin of my shoulders. His lips gently pressed against the curve of my neck.

Our bodies were pressed against each other tightly, perfectly. I could feel his erection against my stomach and shiver of pure sin engulfed me. His body was responding to our touches as exuberantly as mine was. The intensity of the situation was overwhelming. I wanted nothing more than to be pressed against him, all our barriers, physical and emotional removed.

He pulled back slightly, never loosening his grip on my waist and cupped my face in his hand. His thumb traced my cheekbone very lightly. It was so reminiscent of the first time he had ever touched me, that I felt my legs quiver. I could feel the tears pricking in my eyes as I stared at him. Love and want and need shone from his eyes. I was drowning in the sensation of being completely wrapped up in Edward once again. I wanted it to never end but I was terrified to let myself give in to him. His mouth was mere millimeters away from mine, his lips parted slightly in hunger and need.

The song came to its close and I realized we were not even moving. There was no pretense of dancing left. We were simply enraptured with each other. But as the final note faded, I blinked rapidly and the spell was broken.

I dropped my arms to my side as I stepped away from him. Neither of us spoke, but pain screamed through the night air.

"I should go." I didn't wait for a reply; I simply turned my back on him. I ran as quickly as possible through the club. I took no notice of where I was running or whom I was passing. I simply ran to escape the assault of emotions that had flooded me during the last four minutes.

"Bella! Bella!" I recognized his voice calling out for me, but still I ran.

A cold hand gripped my wrist just as I reached the exit doors and spun me around. His hands closed around my shoulders, effectively halting my retreat. His eyes were wild as I looked at him.

"I have to say something to you. Bella, I fucked up. I know it. I fucked up. I looked you in the eye and I told you the worst kind of lie. I was arrogant and childish and cruel. But Bella, I never, for a single second, stopped loving you. I will spend the rest of my life loving you."

He dropped to his knees in front of me and his hands locked on my hips.

"I am begging you, literally, to believe me. I love you. I am **in** love with you. I will **always** be in love with you. I cannot ever erase what I did to you, but I will never stop trying. Please, baby let me try. I know we can find a way back to each other. I know you felt it too. We belong together. In any way you wish, I need to be with you."

His face was nothing but sincere and his eyes were pleading. Part of me wanted to kiss him with all the passion and love that I felt. But my body would not move. I could not speak, or blink or even breathe.

He rose to his feet, but his hands did not leave their position on my hips.

"Baby, please. Please say something."

I don't know what it was that triggered me. I don't know if it was hearing my name in his perfect velvet voice or the repeated use of such an intimate term of endearment or simply the roller coaster of the last 24 hours. But something deep inside began to hurt. Pain such as I had never known ripped through me at an astonishing speed and in that moment, all I wanted was for someone else to hurt as badly as I did. I wanted him to hurt as badly as I had for the last five years. I wanted him to feel the blackness that permeated my every waking moment.

So I slapped him.

He allowed his head to turn to the side, probably more in an effort to not hurt me than any actual effect. When he looked at me again, he was blurred from the tears in my eyes. I took a deep breath, and slapped him again.

The agony in his face was the last thing I saw before I wrenched myself from his grip and ran through the doors into the unforgiving night air.

**Chapter Notes: I am almost afraid of what my InBox is going to look like after this one. You guys have trusted me this far, stay with me just a little while longer. Remember, it's always darkest before the dawn.**

**Let me hear it…good, bad and what the fuck did you just do!!**


	25. Chapter 25Breakdowns & Mountain Lions

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that.**

**Wow! You guys were almost equally split between WTF and way to go. I love it. That is exactly what I wanted you guys to do. I think the next two chapters are going to make everyone feel better about this one, regardless of which side of the fence you're on.**

**I'm gonna do a hat-trick for you guys today. This will set us up for the biggies come Monday. Yes, Monday. My daughter protested enough last night and this morning that the asshat ex agreed to return her to me first thing in the am, so I do get my Mother's Day with her!!**

**Leave me some love and let me know what you guys are thinking about this one. Next chap should be up in a couple of hours.**

Chapter 25-Breakdowns and Mountain Lions

EPOV

I had no discernable feelings as Alice led me by the hand toward my car. So, this would be it. The insanity I had kept at bay for five years was finally going to overtake me. The emptiness wasn't comforting or soothing. If anything, it was worse than feeling the emotions I knew I should be feeling.

I had always waited for Bella to run screaming from me. These were different circumstances than I had ever imagined, but she had run from me none the less.

I welcomed the attack that surely must be about to pounce. I needed a distraction from the emptiness in the most desperate kind of way.

"It's not going to come." My sister's face was sympathetic as she cut her eyes to me.

I didn't realize we had gotten into the car; much less that she was driving.

"This is not as bad as you think. You need to have faith in her, Edward. Don't turn in on yourself just yet."

Her words were meaningless. Did she not witness my little exhibition? How could this possibly not be as bad as I thought? **Bella had slapped me.** It wasn't that it hurt on any level except emotionally, but the significance of the act was what had ushered the blackness into my mind. The sheer amount of pain I had caused her was written on her face as she raised her hand.

"Alice, pull the car over."

"What…what are you…?"

"Pull over now, Alice." She had no more pulled to the shoulder of the road before I flung myself from the interior of the still moving car. After only a few steps, the horrid liquid I had imbibed expelled itself from my body. I wretched and shuddered as the poisonous liquid left my body. My eyes pricked with venomous tears that would never give me the relief of falling. My every limb shook and I had an odd hollow sensation in my stomach.

It was as close to an emotional breakdown as a vampire could ever get.

My sister stood beside me on the side of the road and gently rubbed my back as the last of the liquid acid made its way out of my system. I took a few deep breaths to try and clear my mouth of the disgusting taste. I rested both hands against my knees and bent at the waist. The position offered nothing except an awkward view of the grass below. There was no comfort in the gesture nor was there any relief.

"You ok?"

"Do I look ok?"

"I mean, did you get it all out? Can you feel any more in your body?"

"No, it's gone. I just wish it would have taken the shit out of my head along with it."

"I know, honey, I know. But you have to have a little faith. I know that's hard for you, but you really need to trust me."

"What have you seen?"

"Nothing new. But that doesn't mean I can't see what happened tonight or what will happen later.

"Alice, now is really not…"

"Edward, tell me about tonight.

"What do you want me to tell you," I screamed at my sister. "That for about two hours, I thought my life was going to be worth living again. No, wait, I know. You want me to tell you that sitting next to her as we played the piano together was the most fun I have ever had. Or do you want me to tell you that when we danced tonight, it was the most perfect four minutes of my existence? That her body seemed to be created for the sole purpose of being wrapped in my arms. Or perhaps you'd like me to tell you that when I dropped to my knees in front of her tonight, my head screamed for me to propose to her so that I never again have to face a new day without her."

"No, Edward, what I want you to tell me about is that you finally get what you did to her in the woods that day."

"I've always got…."

"No, you haven't always gotten it. Because tonight, the roles were reversed. You were the one begging for her to stay and she was the one that turned her back and left you to your misery."

I was fucking stunned. She was right. Jesus Christ, she was right. This, this right here, was exactly what I had done to Bella. The pain, the blackness, the loss of hope that ran through my veins was exactly what I had inflicted on her.

"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. I didn't need a vision to see that you guys needed to do this, but I did see how this would play out."

"And you couldn't tell me? I might have been able to do something different." I could not fathom why she would have kept such a horrible reaction from me.

I cocked my eyebrow at her.

"You shit, are you that thick? .She needed for you to understand the hurt and abandonment that she felt. And she needed to feel what it felt like to walk away from someone that she loves desperately. And now you do, both of you, for the first time ever. You now know what its like to have **her** walk away from **you.** And she knows now the pain you felt as you left her that day. You both had to get that before either of you could move past it. And now you have."

She was right, again. I did need to understand the full extent of my actions. And Bella did need to express her anger over my actions. I got it. But the question now was whether or not she did. Would this finally let us walk the proverbial mile and allow us to meet in the middle. God damned I hoped so.

"Come on, let's go for a drive. The others have already left the club."

My sister gently guided me back towards the car. She gracefully folded herself into the passenger seat this time. As I pulled back onto the highway, she pressed play on the Ipod and threw a smile at me.

Five hours later, we made out way back into the hotel parking lot. The sky was overcast enough for us to keep our pace at human speed. We had talked about a lot of different things over the last several hours, but we had pointedly avoided the most difficult topic.

"I need to get a few things out of your room if you don't mind." I was quite sure that she would accompany me, whether or not I acquiesced, so I simply nodded.

We stepped out of the elevator and began the trek to the end of the hall. Standing in front of the door to my room, was a room service porter. His silver cart was pushed slightly to the side and he was knocking on the door.

"Can I help you," I called to him from just a few feet away.

"Yes, sir. Compliments of Miss Cullen in 2801."

"Cullen?" She all but vibrated with excitement as she realized to whom the porter was referring.

.

I smiled like a fool as I signed for the tray.

I carried the tray into my room myself, much to the dismay of the waiter. Alice followed me, so close behind that I could feel her breath on my neck.

I lifted the silver lid and immediately roared with laughter. Alice's cackling was a perfect harmony to my own wails.

There, situated on the tray, was a tall red drink with a celery stick hanging out the top, a small bottle of over the counter pain killers and what looked like a stuffed mountain lion. The drink smelled spicy and acidic, no doubt the tomatoes in concoction.

"Oh, God, Edward…she sent…she sent you a Bloody Mary." Her laughter was so deep her words were broken.

A small white piece of paper was folded neatly in half and situated between the paws of the toy lion.

I unfolded the paper and held it where Alice could read it as she leaned around me.

_Edward,_

_I thought you might need a hangover helper this morning. No real mountain lions on the menu, so I found what I could. I'm sorry about my behavior last night. I don't really know what came over me. Please don't leave. I know you haven't checked out yet. I really need to talk to you after the show tonight. And I would really love to see you in the crowd._

_Bella_

My outlook on the day was instantly brighter.

She wanted to see me, despite all that had happened last night.

She wanted to talk.

Maybe we were moving toward the middle ground.

I rushed to the phone on the bed side table and dialed 2801.

"Hello?" Her voice was rough and cracking, but no less beautiful.

"I didn't mean to wake you, I'm sorry."

"Oh…no, I wasn't sleeping. I'm glad you called." The shock in her words was not angry or guarded.

"I just wanted to say 'thank you' for the breakfast. I don't think I have laughed so hard in years. Very smart assed of you. I also wanted to make sure you were all right."

"I'm fine, thank you. And you're welcome. I just thought it might lighten the mood a little." There was a long pause before she spoke again. "Will you be there tonight?"

"If you want me there, neither hell nor high water could keep me away."

"I do…want you to come, I mean. Edward, I am sor…"

"Please, do not apologize. For anything. You had every right to hit me last night. As a matter of fact, you have every right to do it for the next several years. I need to apologize to you, but I would rather do it in person. I have a lot to apologize for, Bella."

"So do I. I realized some things last night that I need to tell you, but I agree I would rather do it in person."

I could hear the sheets rustling as she moved around, but she didn't speak. Her heart rate speed considerably in the mute abyss of time.

"Do you know what today is?"

I winced. I could not suppress the groan that escaped.

"Yes, I do. That's part of the discussion I want us to have. But if today's date makes it too difficult to talk about, I understand."

"No, no…we need to talk about it. Ok, I think I need to go now." Her voice had sharpened on the last sentence.

"Bella, are you ok?"

"Um…tequila overload. I think I'm going to be sick. I'm sorry. I'll talk to you tonight."

The line went dead without another word. I turned to Alice to find that she was already on her cell phone.

"Chip? Yeah, good morning to you too. I think you might want to go next door. Yes, it seems that our girl is a novice with hangovers."

"Oh, shit. I can hear her in there now. I'll catch up with you later. You guys aren't leaving are you?" His voice sounded distracted even to me.

"No, we'll be there. I'll see you tonight."

"Good, I'll talk to…oh, God this is going to be disgusting. Let me run."

She closed her phone and smiled at me.

"He knows what to do, don't worry. God, I wish you could see the difference in your face right now. It's like night and day from an hour ago."

I smiled to myself.

The darkness had been replaced with one sarcastic gesture and one phone call.

Bella.

She had always been my light in the darkness. And that had never been truer than right that second.

**Chapter Notes: Are we feeling slightly better about our favorite couple. Let me hear it guys. You know what makes me purr.**


	26. Chapter 26Revelations & Porcelain Gods

**A/N: I don' own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that already.**

**Am I somewhat forgiven? I know it was mean, but I want this to be as realistic as possible.**

**To everyone reading and everyone reviewing, big hugs and kisses. Your comments make all the difference. **

**Coming up Monday, monster chapters. Can't wait to see what you guys think. Charge the Ipods over the weekend. We'll have another "must listen to" playlist.**

**Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.**

Chapter 26-Revelations & Porcelain Gods

BPOV

I had lay in the bed for more than an hour trying to understand what the hell had come over me. I had dreamt of him holding me the way he did when we danced. I had literally prayed for his arms to be wrapped around me again. I had fantasized about a reunion in which he proclaimed his love for me more times than I could count.

And when the scene unfolded before me, better than any dream or fantasy my mind could conjure, I had slapped him.

I wanted to blame the alcohol. But if I was honest with myself, it had nothing to do with my reaction. In that moment, I wanted him to hurt as terribly as I had. I needed him to see what I had faced when he left me in the woods five years ago.

But why? Why had I wanted and done such a terrible thing? Every time I closed my eyes, I could see the excruciating expression etched on his face. His immaculate face marred by such a terrible emotion. And I had put it there. I had only seen such pain on someone's face once, and I was the cause of it that time as well.

Charlie. The look on Edward's face was eerily similar to the look on Charlie's face after my cruel words to him the night I fled Forks for Phoenix. I had not wanted to hurt Charlie that night, simply protect him. So I had done whatever it took to make him step aside so that I could lead the tracker away from him. I had always thought myself a good person, but I had done the same thing to the two most important men in my life. I had caused that defeated broken look to mar both their faces.

The same thing.

Dear God, the same thing.

Edward had done the same thing I had done to Charlie. My cruel words to Charlie had never in any way been correlated to my love for him. They were protective measures because I loved him so much.

Edward had done the same thing. He loved me enough to protect me at all costs.

"**But I'm not saying goodbye."**

"**Don't you see? That's what proves me right. I care the most, because if I can do it, if leaving is the right thing to do, then I'll hurt myself to keep from hurting you, to keep you safe."**

The long ago conversation the day after that fateful night in Port Angeles rang through my head with shocking clarity. Even then, at the beginning of our relationship, he had been willing to sacrifice his own happiness for my safety. And when the danger he perceived had become too great, he had done just that. Sacrificed himself for me.

He should have talked to me about it. He should have let it be a decision we made together. But he had done what he did out of love for me and concern for my safety. Not cruelty or insensitivity. There was nothing blasé about his actions or his words. He had to have known as we stood in the cover of the trees that afternoon what his words would do to him. And he did it anyway.

Because he loved me.

Christ, he had all but set himself on fire to protect me from his world. How in the hell had I never seen it before? Had I really been so wrapped up in my own cage of pain that I had missed something that big?

Yeah, I had.

I had spent the last five years focusing on how he could do that to me and why I wasn't enough and why didn't he love me. But the truth was he always had. It had never been a question of him not loving me enough. Every emotion I had felt, every tear, every nightmare and every panic attack I'd had over the last five years…

Oh, fuck. Five years. Today.

Today was the five year anniversary of that hideous day.

I needed to try and talk to him, to at least get the chance to say all the things that I should have said last night. If I knew Edward, he was probably planning on leaving. If he hadn't already.

The insane phone call to the front desk had done little to ease my fears. He was still registered, but I knew that meant little. Only that he either left without bothering to get his things or he had not gotten around to checking out yet.

I was so worked up over my revelation and its aftermath that I could not possibly go back to bed. I paced around the small room endlessly. I needed something to distract myself. Another quick phone call to the front desk told me that the night clerk that had let me into the bar the other night was not working. So no piano. Shit.

I stomped to the closet and pulled the small Casio keyboard from my bag. I really didn't like to play keyboards, it didn't feel right. But I needed to release what was in my head.

The red power button had barely registered when I began to play. I played the same song I always did, over and over. But as I played, new lyrics began to form in my head. This song had always been to Edward, but the words poured out more quickly than I could write them down. The song morphed itself into a lyrical expression of my epiphany. I had just written the last line when I notice a tiny ray of light peeking through heavy curtains over the windows.

I pulled myself from my cross-legged position on the bed and yanked the curtains back. I looked across the parking lot, not really knowing what I was looking for. Surely, he didn't still have the Volvo. And even if he did, wouldn't they have just flown from Oregon?

My heart lifted as a shiny silver Volvo turned into the long driveway at that moment. It was a sign. It had to be. Divine intervention was telling me I had one shot at buying enough time with him to tell him I understood. I finally got it and none of the rest mattered.

The room service order was completely stupid. I knew it as I placed the order. I knew it as I asked them to pull the stuffed mountain lion I had spied yesterday afternoon in lobby gift shop. I knew it as I dictated the card to be put on the tray. But I simply didn't care. I had to stall his departure for just a few moments, and if nothing else, he would have to argue with the porter about returning the order.

The second I had hung up, I rushed to the bathroom to try and clean up slightly. If I was going to make a mad dash to his room when I heard the room service delivery, I at least didn't want to look like the walking dead. I yanked a brush through my hair at lightning speed and brushed my teeth hard.

My stomach did its first flip as I sat on the edge of the bed to pull my tennis shoes on. As I bent over to retrieve the shoe from its hiding place underneath the edge of the comforter, the shudder from my abdomen stopped me cold.

"Oh, hell." I couldn't help but groan out the words to the empty room. I had just wrapped my arm around my mid section when the phone rang.

It was him.

The conversation had been light, but it was profound in its symbolism. I wanted to tell him everything I had come to understand during the night, but I wanted to do it face to face and my stomach was not cooperating with that desire.

He appreciated the gesture. It had made him laugh. But more significantly, he was not leaving and did want to talk. He had been worried about me.

It was more than I had hoped for. There was no anger in his voice and I wanted the conversation to go on indefinitely. But my body betrayed me. I'm sure he thought my behavior was rude, but my stomach had chosen that particular moment to rebel.

I barely made it to the bathroom before the "morning after getting drunk" ritual began.

Only a few seconds into my disgusting performance, I felt the breeze as someone opened the bathroom door.

"Well aren't you looking smashing this lovely morning," Chip's voice rang out much too loudly in the confines of the bathroom.

My only answer was another heave.

"God, Bella, if you're going to get drunk, at least have the gonads to not throw it all back up." I felt a cold compress against my head and his hand gently rubbed my back.

"It's not the alcohol. Or at least, it's not just the alcohol."

"Yeah, whatever. Just finish already. This is truly disgusting. I really must love you."

The entire morning progressed much in the same way. Chip and I talked at length about the events from last night, this morning and what may come from tonight. Our conversation was interrupted three separate times in order for me to pay homage to the porcelain gods.

The topic of lunch had just come up when a knock on the door startled both of us out of our discussion.

"Yo! Bitch. Open the fucking door."

I turned to Chip and groaned. "I am really not in the mood for his shit."

Chip just laughed at me as he crossed the room and pulled the door open.

"Be kind. Our girl is feeling a little rough this morning." Chip's pleading seemed to fall on deaf ears as a wicked grin spread over JP's face.

"No fucking way. I very rarely get a chance to torture Miss Swan here about being hung over. I'm not wasting the precious opportunity." He looked around the room expectantly. "No breakfast from the vamp this morning?"

"Uh…no. Did you happen to see our little show last night or were you molesting some poor southern belle at the time?"

"Oh, well, which show would that be? Are you referring to the smokin' duet on the piano, the grope fest on the patio or the right hook in front of the door? And just for future reference, I can molest southern belles and watch the show. I don't have to choose which entertainment to indulge in." His smile was truly evil as he reveled in the drama of last night.

I could do nothing but hang my head into the comforter that had bunched in my lap.

"We need food people. Grab that menu, Chip."

JP ordered enough food for an army. And he apparently made sure to include every fried item on the menu. My stomach lurched as the trays were wheeled into the room.

"So, what now?"

I looked up from my bowl of soup to find JP staring very hard at me. He had ketchup on the corner of his mouth and a cheeseburger in his hand that looked too large to fit into anyone's mouth.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, part one of your 'perfect universe plan' has been enacted. So when should we expect part two?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I had no idea what plan he was referring to.

"During intermission, you told me how you would have this whole reunion thing go down. Remember? 'Slap the shit out of him, kiss the shit out of him, blah, blah, blah' So, I'm just wondering when you're going to kiss him."

I was probably staring at him like he had horns. But I replayed the conversation in my head. He was right. I had done exactly what I had told him I would do if given the opportunity. I had not thought about my behavior in those terms. Did that mean I was over the craziness? Did I want to kiss Edward and live happily ever after?

Yeah, I did. I wanted to do a lot more than kiss Edward. And I most certainly did want a happily ever after with him.

"I don't know, I may have blown my chance," I whispered.

"Can I tell you what I think?" JP's voice did not hold any of the sarcasm it usually did. I looked into his face and saw he was serious, something that didn't happen often.

I nodded my "yes" to him.

"I watched you two last night. I saw how you both looked at each other. How you reacted to each other. Honey, you don't find that often. You have a chance to reclaim what you guys had. Don't let your fear or pride ruin it for you. I threw my chance away along time ago. Don't make my mistakes."

JP and I had been friends for a long time. Long enough for me to understand the gravity of what he was saying to me. JP had once been in love. Heidi was apparently everything he ever wanted in life. He had adored her and she had all but worshipped him. He cheated on her and she could not forgive him for hurting her. When we began writing together all those years ago, we connected because we shared the pain of loss. He knew he had done it to himself and he knew what he had done to her. I think that was why he was so protective of me. He didn't want to see me hurt the way he had hurt her. Heidi was also the majority of the reason he was such a dog with women now. He intentionally never spent enough time with anyone person to ever let himself feel anything real for them.

"Quit hogging all the rolls, Bitch. Hand one to me." He winked at me, effectively ending the serious portion of the discussion.

I leaned across the bed and threw my arms around his neck. I hugged him as hard as I could and pecked his cheek. "Thank you, Asshole."

He cocked his eyebrow at me before he wrapped one arm around my waist and squeezed. He left his hand on my waist as he leaned back enough to look me in the eye.

"Just do me a favor. Just give me a little notice before you go run off with him and have little fucked up hybrid babies."

I snorted as I sat back onto the mattress. Chip actually slid from his chair on the side of the bed as he laughed.

"And for God sakes woman, eat something. Jesus, if you're gonna be fucking a vampire, you gotta have a little more meat on your bones."

The blush that overcame my body was almost painful.

The rest of the day passed in relative calm. JP and Chip stayed with me most of the day. They seemed to be making a concerted effort to not leave me alone for any amount of time. I realized that both of them seemed to know exactly what today was and they were trying to distract me.

We didn't do much except watch movies, _Alien vs. Predator_ for JP and _Pride and Prejudice _for me, and talk. Marcus joined us a little after 6 that evening as we ordered a little dinner before the show. This particular tray wasn't nearly as greasy as lunch had been.

"All right, you two, time to start getting ready," Chip admonished about 8:00. JP and I were in a heated debate over whether or not I was going to let him order a porn movie to watch while we got dressed. The answer was unequivocally "no"; to which he whined like a child whose mother took the cookies away.

The nightly ritual of showering and blow drying my hair seemed to take much less time than usual. I was on edge every time I looked at the clock. In just a little over an hour, I would see him again. Marcus was doing his best to tame JP's dreadlocks. I laughed hysterically as he winced and grimaced.

As Chip gathered the bags he needed to take with us, I looked up at the ceiling of the room.

"See you tonight?"

The double stomp of a foot answered my question and I smiled from ear to ear.

This anniversary had, so far, been much more tolerable that any of the previous years. Now I just had to make sure that next year, this date would have a completely different connotation.

**Chapter Notes: I'm curious to see if anyone has any predictions for what's up next. You guys know what I'm looking for, send them to me.**


	27. Chapter 27Anniversary Performance

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that. Furthermore, I don't own any part of the music referenced in this chapter.**

****Sniffles and wipes eyes** You guys are simply amazing. The kind words and warm wishes you guys sent me in your reviews truly touched me. I consider myself honored to have such wonderful people involved with this story. It is truly humbling.**

**I need to give a shout-out to Venomousgal. If you haven't read her fic "Rescue Me", go and do so immediately. It's fabulous. I spent my Saturday evening engrossed in it. Thanks for the support darlin', it means the world.**

**Playlist:**

**Going Under-Evanescence**

**Haunted-Evanescence**

**Imaginary-Evanescence**

**Taking Over Me-Evanescence**

**My Last Breath-Evanescence**

**Freak on a Leash-Korn featuring Amy Lee (unplugged version)**

**Cloud Nine-Evanescence**

**Lacrymosa-Evanescence**

**Call Me When Your Sober-Evanescence**

**Sweet Sacrifice-Evanescence**

**Lithium-Evanescence**

**Missing-Evanescence**

**Like You-Evanescence ***absolutely essential to listen to this one*****

**Breathe No More-Evanescence**

**You guys have listened to these once before, so it's not essential to listen to them until you get to "Like You". You'll know when you need to listen to the song and you'll understand why I want you to again as you read. "Breathe No More" is a must to fully capture the emotions of the lyrics.**

Chapter 27- Anniversary Performance

EPOV

I had done nothing the entire day but lie across the bed in the hotel room and listen to Bella. It was almost like getting to spend the day with her. I hadn't intended to, really, but I had been worried about her. She'd hung the phone up so quickly that I didn't even have a chance to tell her good bye. And then the retching noises started. I just wanted to make sure she was ok. But, my concern had quickly turned to entertainment.

Chip had not exaggerated at all when he described himself as her mother hen. He'd alternately chastised her for her behavior and tended to her every need. He stayed with her through every wave of nausea, he'd forced her to drink fluids to keep from getting dehydrated and he'd wiped her forehead to calm her shivers. He'd even held her hair away from her face when her sickness was at its worst. She had not been thrilled with that act and had whined her displeasure in an adorable tone of voice. He had cared for her in every way that a parent or spouse would have. It reaffirmed my earlier suspicion that I would have to find some monumental way to express my gratitude to him for all that he did for her.

Her stomach finally settled and they fell into easy conversation. Mainly, about me. She had spoken at great length about how badly she felt for her actions last night. She thought she had been selfish and irrational. I was going to have to let her know that she was completely justified and right in showing me her true feelings. She didn't seem to grasp that her actions had provoked an awakening in terms of my understanding of that hideous day. She had explained fully, in a matter of seconds, what I had not been able to fully comprehend in five years.

She made repeated references to a revelation of her own that she'd had during the night, but she never discussed the details with Chip. I was more than slightly curious about what she had to say. They also talked quite a bit about her feelings for me. She missed me. She wanted me. But most significantly, she loved me.

It was because of her words that I continued to listen, even after it became apparent she was feeling better. I absolutely craved to hear her voice and the incredible sentiments she spoke of. It was, again, as if she was my own personal brand of heroin. It was not her blood that wove its addictive web around me anymore. The years of separation had driven any thought or desire to harm her in any way from my mind. It was her heart and her love that I had become hopelessly obsessed with.

I knew that I should not have listened to every word that came out of her mouth, but I couldn't make myself leave. I was a junkie craving his next fix as I eavesdropped on her every breath. Besides, I rationalized; she knew I could hear her. She had spoken to me through the floor that separated us on at least one occasion. So she had to realize that I could hear every sound that came from her room. Right?

I also spent some time making some arrangements of my own. A few minutes on my laptop and a couple of phone calls later, everything was in place. I had no idea if or when my plans would see the light of day, but I wanted everything in place in case my hopes came to fruition. I didn't want to think about the possibility of my planning being in vain.

The conversation became truly entertaining once JP showed up. I had initially wanted to punch a hold in the floor, reach down and decapitate him when he addressed her as "bitch". But his thoughts drove the reaction immediately out of my head. This was a term of endearment that he had used with her for years. She, in return, lovingly referred to him as "asshole". His words to her as he entered the room were snide and teasing, but his thoughts told me that he was concerned for her. He genuinely wanted to make sure she was alright and would have gone to any measure to care for her had he not found her state of being acceptable.

They had a very close but completely platonic relationship. The ribbed and kidded and badgered each other in a very sibling- type way. It was very much the way Alice and I were with each other. Or maybe more like Alice and Emmett were with each other. Fiercely protective of one another while at the same time mercilessly taunting. The conversations they had were alternately deep and child-like. They took great pleasure in torturing each other but they were also deeply connected and in tune with one another.

I nearly rolled off the bed in laughter when he ordered every fried item on the room service menu, for the express purpose of making her suffer the aromas. She, in turn, subjected him to _Pride & Prejudice_ simply out of retaliation. She was full of snide smart-assed comments for him, and I found myself extremely excited by this side of her. She had never shied away from telling me what she was thinking, but she had always edited her thoughts so that they were less confrontational. I was thrilled with the idea of the easy banter that had always existed between the two of us taking on a more playful and sarcastic tone.

When their conversation turned serious, I was amazed to hear that the venom he'd had for me that first night had all but vanished. He recognized the all consuming love that I carried for her, and he was serene in his confidence that her love was equally as powerful for me. He was shockingly protective of her, but above all, he wanted her to be happy. And in his mind, I was the only person that could make her happy. He encouraged her to take a chance and let me be a part of her life again.

I was equal parts stunned and grateful to the man that had less than forty-eight hours ago longed for my dismembered body to erupt in flames.

When he told her not to run off and have "hybrid babies" with me, I laughed until I was in danger of breaking the nightstand by the bed that I grasp onto to steady myself. As if a human and a vampire could procreate. The thought alone was absurd. I was still chuckling to myself when his comment to her about eating more because she would be fucking me instantly brought my teenage self to the forefront. In a split second, my mind conjured all the images of her in various compromising positions that I had visualized, and to be honest, obsessed over for the last forty-eight hours.

They all filed out of the room about 8:00 in a flurry of cuss words and ignored pleas for assistance from Chip. But the highlight of the day had been when she spoke directly to me just before she left. I was absolutely thrilled that she had wanted reassurance that I was indeed coming to her show tonight. The door to her room had not completely shut when a knock on my own door pulled me from my chuckling. I pulled the door open to find my sisters, both of them, standing in the door way. I was instantly afraid of whatever could bring them both to my door brandishing a garment bag.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Rose stormed imperiously into my room and Alice followed, rolling her eyes.

"The seer seems to think this is going to be a big night for you, so she enlisted my help in getting you ready to go out," she huffed as she dropped into the chair nearest the window.

"And when did I cease to be able to dress myself?" I should have been irritated, but the day's events had left me in much too good a mood to fight with anyone. Alice seemed to notice my lack of resistance.

"What have you done all day that has left you so chipper? Did you visit your shower again?"

Ok, now that was uncalled for. I scowled slightly at Alice as I turned my head away from Rosalie. I really hoped Alice hadn't shared that particular piece of information with her.

"I didn't do anything today. I just kind of hung out."

"Uh huh. And the fact that you could hear a mouse fart in Bella's room had nothing to do with your decision to be so laid back?" Alice already knew the answer to the question. She didn't even wait for a response as she pulled clothes out of the bag in her hand.

"Jesus, you're pathetic. Completely pussy-whipped by a pussy you haven't even seen," Rose snapped from her chair.

"Christ, Rosalie! We have got to get you away from Emmett more often," Alice hissed. I clenched my jaw tightly in an effort not to respond to her nasty words. She simply shrugged as she rose and walked toward the dresser.

"I'm just saying; you got it bad little brother. Don't have a fit." She smiled slightly, an obvious effort to diffuse my temper.

"I'll give you that, just try not to be so crude around Bella, please."

"I'll try, but brother dear, your girl has been touring the country for a couple of years with a freakin' heavy metal band. I don't think my mouth is going to offend her."

"Still, can we watch the 'pussy' references, please?"

Alice slid off the end of the bed in a fit of laughter. Her entire body shook with the force of her guffaws.

"What is so funny?"

"If…if someone…if someone had told me a week ago that the word 'pussy' would come out of my brother's mouth for any reason, I would have given them a match to light my pyre with. I cannot believe it sounds so normal." She continued to laugh hysterically.

It was so ridiculous, Rose and I had no choice to laugh with her. We howled at the impossibly bizarre circumstances that had led us to this moment.

"Come here Casanova, let's get you dressed to impress."

We met the rest of my family downstairs at nine on the dot. The three of us fell out of the elevator in a fit of laughter and ran immediately into the rest of our family. Their faces were incredulous and amused as they took in our display.

"This could be an interesting evening," Jasper snorted as we made our way across the lobby.

I felt like an ass in the clothes Alice and Rose had forced upon me. Black leather pants cut much too tightly through the groin, a white button down and a deep red velvet jacket. I had to look ridiculous, but there was no compromising with Alice. She had finally threatened to call Jasper in to subdue me if I protested any more. I felt marginally better when I saw that the rest of my family was dressed in similar attire. I had not been shocked when my sisters decked themselves out in very revealing tight clothes, but to see my mother and father dressed in black and leather was a sight anyone would have found humorous.

By 9:30 we were, once again seated in the box right beside the tower to the side of the stage. With the shock of that first sighting worn off, I could really take in the enthusiasm of the crowd. The excitement was evident in every face and the energy of the crowd was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I was positively vibrating with excitement when Chip knocked on the door.

"You guys are drawing all most as much attention as the band does when they go out." He turned to Alice and smiled so appreciatively, I almost felt bad for giving her a hard time about my attire. "This should be one hell of a show. I have not seen them this worked up in a long time."

"Who, the crowd?" Jasper was feeding off the energy in the room. He seemed more worked up and energized than I could ever remember seeing him.

"No, the band. They are bouncing off the walls. The dressing room is like a warped romper room right now. If I didn't know better, I would swear they were 8 year olds with ridiculously nasty minds."

I couldn't help but laugh. After what I had spent the day listening to, I could only imagine what it would be like to add three more people to the mix.

The house lights dimmed and the crowd exploded in noise. My family and I were as completely caught up as the rest of the crowd. My mother had her hands above her head clapping and was screaming. My brothers were yelling as loudly as they could without crossing the human volume that was acceptable. I was on my feet clapping and staring across the stage as it filled with smoke. I could just barely make out the forms of the band as they made there way onto the platform.

When the first notes rang out, the noise level grew impossibly louder. There seemed to be electricity in the room that everyone, human and immortal, could feel. The show was, essentially, the same show as the first night: complete with the dimmed light cloak at the beginning of the first song and the dramatic reveal as the song unfolded.

When the lights came up, my angel walked boldly to the front of the stage and took immediate command of the entire room. She was breath taking. She had on a deep red velvet coat that skimmed her ankles. Her choker was visible underneath the high collar of the jacket and she had extraordinarily high heeled boots. She was magnificent.

I looked at Alice, Chip standing to her right, and raised my eyebrows. Bella's coat was the exact same color as the jacket she had forced upon me just a couple of hours ago. The two of them smiled identical smart ass grins at me.

The show progressed in the exact same order as the first night. I was every bit as captivated by her presence at the front of the stage and even more captivated as she sat at the piano during the third song. Without the mind blowing circumstances of the previous performance, I could really appreciate Bella for the performer she was. She was without a doubt a natural born performer. There was a grace and ferocity to her presence on stage that the most seasoned choreographer could not have taught. She was elegant and raw at the same moment. It was almost indescribable to watch her dominate the stage so completely. I still could not quite reconcile the shy unobtrusive girl of five years ago with the force of nature that stood before me. But I loved them both with equal fierceness.

When she began "Taking Over Me" I gripped the banister for support as she began he trek around the room. She followed the same pattern around her walkways as before and with the same familiarity with the crowd. I was conscious of my family's exuberance in the performance, but I could not take my eyes away from her long enough to comment. As she climbed the ramp that led to the center tower, I tensed for the blow that would come as she delivered the line that had shaken me to the core just two days ago.

But what she did shocked me more than the actual lyrics. Two nights ago she had touched the insignia at her neck and looked to the ceiling as she delivered the line **"I knew you loved me then."** Tonight, however, she stood atop the platform and locked eyes with me as she sang. She sang directly to me. I was equal parts amazed and thrilled. I held my breath as she made her way the around the part of the walkway that would lead her to the tower in front of me. I was dying to find out whether or not she would acknowledge me as she made her way up the stairs.

She had kept her back to me and sang the chorus of the song in a very innocent sounding voice directly to the crowd the first night. But upon reaching the top of the tower, she did not face the crowd. She stood five feet away from me and sang the chorus to me as she locked her gaze with me. It was as if we were the only two people in the room. My heart soared as the lyrics enveloped me. This song had always filled me with hope and the dream of forgiveness. But those feelings paled compared to their delivery directly to me. I did not realize that I was singing the words back to her until her eyes widened in response. She threw a small smile at me as she made her way back down the stairs and onto the stage to close the song.

I felt Emmett's large hands clasp my shoulders and shake me a little, while at the same time my mother reached across Alice and Chip to grasp my arm. Rose leaned over slightly and gently pecked me on the cheek. It seemed that my family realized the significance of the moment as well as I had.

"Well, well. It looks like tonight is going to be a night to remember." Chip's voice was not nearly as surprised as I was expecting. "If I were you, pretty boy, I wouldn't take my eyes off her. You never know what she might do." As if anyone could have forced me to look away from her for even a fraction of a second.

The next song nearly brought me to my knees again. I was better prepared for the opening of "My Last Breath" and the display the intro to the song ushered in. But God damn, when the lights came up and her perfect body was revealed, it took every ounce of will power I possessed not to run to her. The black leather dress she was wrapped in was nothing short of demonically sexy. It hugged her every curve like a second skin and the bodice of the dress laced up. Her cleavage threatened to spill from the top and looked appallingly decadent. The dress was sleeveless with a wide open collar that showcased her long neck and collarbones. The dress itself just barely covered her ass. The hem was at least 6 inches above the thigh high black leather boots she wore. There was not a man in the crowd that could do a thing except drool at the sight of her.

Chip laughed loudly. I turned to look at him, only to find him staring at my crotch, which was now impersonating a leather tent.

"If I give you $10 grand, will you add a yard of fabric to every costume you have for her?"

"Not a chance," he chuckled as I tried to adjust myself.

I reveled in watching her prance around the walkway singing to the crowd. I was surprised to find that I felt a great sense of pride and satisfaction in watching her flirt with the crowd. I loved the confidence and ease she had with her blatant sexuality. As she shamelessly flirted with a guy in the very back of the room, she leaned forward and grabbed his hat. He smiled like he'd won the lottery when she pulled in onto her head and kissed him lightly on the cheek. The small black leather biker hat added to the sinful dress made her appearance all but X rated as she made her way back to the stage.

Alice looped her arm through mine as "Freak on a Leash" began. She and JP truly were a force to be reckoned with. Their voices blended seamlessly into a rhythm that hooked everyone. She was singing the second round of the chorus when she looked at me again. She whipped her hair over her shoulder and turned her body toward the left of the stage as she delivered the line "**You and I were meant to be.**"

I could hardly contain myself. I wanted to bow down at her feet and scream to the entire room my absolute devotion to this incredible woman.

The next couple of the set progressed much like the first night. Her energy was beyond comprehension. The songs were the same, but I could not detect the underlying sadness from the previous performance. This was pure raw energy that flooded the room. Every note, every whip of her head, every step she took demanded the crowd's full and undivided attention. And they gave it to her without hesitation.

She took her place at the piano in front of our perch to finish the first set with "Call Me When You're Sober" and smiled brilliantly at my family. I made no effort to hide the fact that I had moved to the end of the box so that I could see her play. My idiot brother put on a show during the song that had everyone within sight rolling. He sang and pranced and posed directly in her line of sight. Alice and even Rosalie joined him in his antics about half way through the song. Her smile was dazzling as she watched them perform for her. The love and affection that they projected to her was so endearing. As she closed the song, she could not hold back the laugh that, from the look on her face, had threatened to burst its way out for most of the song.

The stage went black and the house light came up as the intermission began. Only twenty minutes and she would be back. I knew she needed the break, hell they all did, but I missed her the second she disappeared from my sight.

"Eddie, I love your girl. I swear, the chick too much. She slaps the shit out of a vampire without a second thought, she's walking around the stage dressed like a dominatrix and she didn't even bat an eye at our little display. I'm telling you, if you fuck this up again, I'll light your ass." Emmett's happiness at having Bella react positively to him was hysterical and heart-warming. He loved her every bit as much as he loved Alice and he had missed her terribly.

"Do you have any idea how unique this is?" Chip was looking at me with his eyes wide.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, she has never once reacted to anything while on the stage. Not ever. Not the occasional fights that break out in the audience, not the pervs that say or do disgusting things as she passes them, not even acknowledging the people in the audience that she knows. I'm telling you, the girl is stone-faced on the stage most of the time. The fact that she has altered her performance multiple times tonight is nothing short of statistically improbable."

I smiled like a fool.

"What's the plan for after the show?" Alice was facing Chip while she rubbed the back of Jasper's neck. His eyes were almost feral in their excitement.

"Good question. They are supposed to go back to Bacchus' Cellar for one more appearance, but she was ranting about it before the show. It's the first time she has ever openly bitched about having to do a promotional event." He turned his glance to me. "Apparently, she has plans of her own that she doesn't want to share." The glint in his eyes told me he knew more than he was letting on, but I was once again blocked when I tried to pry into his thoughts for a more detailed answer.

The crowd grew more animated as the clock ticked down the last few minutes of the intermission. I watched as they began to chant the band's name over and over. When the lights finally dimmed, letting everyone know they were on their way back, the people below surged forward toward the stage with abandon. No one, it seemed, could get enough of my goddess.

The second set was, again, the same as the first night. "Sweet Sacrifice" kicked off the set and the power of her voice was more intense than ever. The lyrics were the same but there seemed to be a change in their delivery. The anger that had all but shot from her eyes the first night was noticeably absent. The force of her performance was not diminished in any way, but she seemed much less agitated as she sang.

The same held true for the next two songs. During "Lithium", her fingers still hit the keys of the piano with enough force to do damage to her hands, but she did not seem as swept up in the black emotions of the song. Her eyes remained, for the most part, open as she sang, and the tears that had devastated me as I heard the song for the first time never came. Her voice was beautiful and moving, but not desolate. I was not the only one who noticed.

"Edward, we might have to bring you out on tour with us," Chip calmly stated as he leaned across Alice to speak to me. "I can't remember her ever performing as well. She has her emotions completely under control. No shaking hands, no crying."

"I'm in. I told you, I'd follow her to the ends of the world."

"Missing" was next. Again, same power without the desolation that had colored every note the night before. I still hated to hear the lyrics of the song, but the blow was lessened without the tears. I could literally watch her forever. In more than one hundred years and countless performances I had witnessed, I had never seen anyone that held my attention so completely. Every step she took, every move she made absolutely entranced me. Her voice was the sun and the moon to me. Life as I knew it simply could not go on another day without that voice.

"I wrote this song for someone very special. It makes more sense to him, but I guess you could call this EverClear's version of 'til death do us part'" Her voice betrayed no hint of depression or sadness as she introduced the hardest song in her line up for me to listen to.

The intro to "Like You" pulled my attention away from my inner musings back to the stage. Of all the songs she sang, this one was the most emotional for me as well as for her. I knew now, as I listened to her sing her song about immortality, that she was right. One lifetime with her would never be enough. If she still wanted to become one of my kind, I would give it to her. It didn't matter what I thought of the idea or my reservations about changing her. It was her decision. It always had been. I should have seen it long ago, but I would not waste another breath arguing with her over it. If she wanted me in her life and she wanted to become immortal, I would do it whenever she was ready.

"God! Edward! I can't believe it!" Alice stared wide eyed at me. She was beaming as she saw the vision my realization had apparently triggered. I didn't have to read her mind to guess at what she had seen.

Bella sang the first verse and chorus of "Like You" very much the way she had two nights ago. She was perfectly still at the front of the stage. Her voice was deep and husky as she repeated the lyrics. But as she sang the first line of the second verse, she altered her performance. She removed the mike from its stand and took a very small step away from the front of the stage rather than toward the runway in front of her. Her footsteps continued across the left side of the stage and she was suddenly at the foot of the stairs that led to the tower directly in front of me. Her eyes were locked on mine.

Very slowly, she climbed the steps toward me, all the while singing the song that expressed her desire to be with me forever. My body acted of its own accord. I was aware of the shocked thoughts of my family and of the hands that reached for me as I quickly stood and threw my legs over the railing of the box. I made the small jump that landed me on the platform. It did not matter to me that more than three thousand people were watching or that I was probably ruining the show. I simply could not keep my body away from her for one moment longer. The higher up the staircase she got, the more urgent my need to be near her grew. She showed no sign or surprise at my actions and her eyes never left mine.

As she sang the last line of the second verse, I stepped directly in front of her and held my right hand out to her as she reached the top of the stairs. She slipped her hand into mine and stepped into my open arms. My left arm snaked around her waist and I held her as tightly as I could without hurting her. I stared into the eyes I had longed for every second of the last 5 years and knew that I was home. Love and excitement were evident as she stared back at me. She sang the chorus of the song with a new fierceness, never breaking eye contact.

The small break in the vocals before the dramatic bridge to the song allowed her a moment to catch her breath. She leaned her head forward and touched her forehead to mine. The world seemed to cease its existence in that moment. The crowd of people below us, the family behind us, the band, the noise, the lights, the past. Everything seemed to fade away. There was nothing in that moment but the woman I loved.

"**You're not alone."**

She touched my cheek with her hand as she looked into my eyes and sang the first line of the bridge.

"**No matter what they tell you, you're not alone."**

The force of her actions and love pushed me to my knees once again before her. I looked into her eyes, silently begging her to understand the remorse and love that flooded me in the wake of her gesture. If I had ever regretted not being able to shed tears, it was never more powerful than in that moment.

"**I'll be right beside you forever more."**

Once again, she stunned me into complete stillness. As she delivered the line, she dropped to **her** knees so that she was half sitting on my thighs. With her delicate hand she forced my chin up, so that she could look me directly in the eye. My arms immediately wound around her to hold her body against my chest as she held the note for an impossibly long time.

I could see the understanding in her eyes as she continued the song. We were united in the significance of the moment. We would never again be parted. Not a day from now. Not a decade from now. Not a century from now. Whatever we had left to work through, we would do it side by side. Neither of us would ever again have to grieve for the other.

She finished the song in a blur of notes and emotions and intertwined bodies. I could not get her close enough to me. And she seemed to feel the same way. I rose to my feet, lifting her with me as the final notes echoed through the room. It was only then that I realized the room had gone eerily quiet. The crowd didn't seem to know what to make of what they had just witnessed. For a split second you could have heard a pin drop in the room.

And then the noise exploded. Yells and cheers and whistles filled the empty air and surrounded us. I turned our bodies, arms still wrapped around each other, to face our family.

Our family.

Everyone in the box seemed to be crying, either in the human way or in the immortal one. They all jumped up and down and cheered and rejoiced with us. She smiled radiantly at them and then turned that perfect smile to me as she took a small step away from me. I grabbed her hand and gently kissed the back of it.

"I've got a show to finish for you." Her voice had never sounded more beautiful than at that moment. She took a few more steps and sat down at the piano. I climbed back over the railing into my seat without ever taking my eyes off her. She brought her hands to the keys and whispered "You inspired this one" just before she played the first note.

It was the song she had been playing in the bar the first night we had spoken. The lyrics were simply astounding. I didn't have the words for the emotions that coursed through my silent body. She got it. She knew me better than I knew myself. She understood everything that I had struggled to make sense of for so long.

Standing there, surrounded by my family and gazing into the eyes of my forever as she sung the most incredible song I had ever heard, was the most beautiful moment of my life thus far.

It was in that moment, I realized that Bella had been right all along. I did have a soul. Because only a soul, true and pure, could hold the amount of love that I felt for the gift from God that was before me.

**Chapter Notes: I think you guys have been waiting for this…am I right? Let me know what you think. I'm on pins and needles to hear from you guys.**


	28. Chapter 28Stage Surprises

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that. Furthermore, I don't own any part of the music referenced in this chapter.**

**Awesome is a completely over-used word, but in this case it is totally appropriate for my EverClear groupies! You guys rock my world with your support and kind words. **

**PlayList:**

**Weight of the World-Evanescence**

**Bring Me to Life-Evanescence**

**My Immortal (radio version)-Evanescence**

**Broken-Seether featuring Amy Lee**

**The last 3 are absolutes to get the true feel of the chapter. I know you've listened to them once already, but trust me; you need to do it one more time. Make sure the version of My Immortal is the radio version (we listened to the band version the first time around). You'll understand why very shortly.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 28-Stage Surprises

BPOV

Apparently, Georgia had the ability to make me take leave of all my senses. There was no master plan or even intent to turn the emotional turmoil that had been my life for the last forty-eight hours into a public spectacle. My body seemed to act of its own volition. I had stolen looks at Edward every chance I could during the first set and every time, without fail, he was looking at me with pure joy and unabashed love in his eyes. He loved me and I loved him. All the other shit between us could be overcome as long as those two things were sure.

His family also seemed to be genuinely thrilled to see me. They, of course, looked exactly as I had remembered. But they looked at me with the pride and affection of a daughter and a sister. I think that was what tipped the scales of my sanity.

As I began the second set, I made a concerted effort not to look at him too much. The gravitational pull that I felt every time I looked into his ocher eyes grew stronger every single time I saw him smiling his impossible to resist crooked smile. I did actually have a job to do here tonight. I kept telling myself to just get through the set and then I could make fool of myself by throwing myself into his arms. But the further I got into "Like You" the less my resistance could hold me from him.

The dreamlike scene that unfolded between us was more than my imagination could ever have come up with. His arms around me, his eyes shining at me with unshed tears and his brilliant smile made every other image in the room simply evaporate. There was nothing but the two of us. It was sheer dumb luck that I continued to sing. I had no conscious memory of continuing the song, but I guessed that I was on auto-pilot.

I absolutely ached when I had to pull away from him. If I could have figured out a way to continue the show with his arms secured around me, I would have done it without a second of hesitation. As it was, I was not that creative. But I wanted to do something in that moment that would show him how much I loved him. It was an impulse decision to play "Breath No More". I had never, even once, played the song while I sang the lyrics in front of another person. I originally written the song to him and he was the only person I felt right about playing it for. But after my breakthrough last night and the lyrics that had poured from my pen as I thought of him, the timing seemed perfect. It was my way of trying to express to him that I understood how difficult our situation was for him and that I would never leave him to handle the pressure alone.

I was sure Dimitri and JP thought I had lost my mind as I sat at the piano after "Like You" ended. I should have high tailed it back to the stage to begin "Weight of the World". But I wanted so badly for him to realize how much I needed him that I just went with my instinct. I never took my eyes off him as I sang his song to him. He seemed to recognize the melody as the one I was playing when he found me at the piano in the hotel bar. His eyes softened and he touched his hand over his heart in acknowledgement. He got it. He knew what I was giving him. He understood as he listened to the lyrics what I was trying to say to him.

As I played the last notes, he touched his long fingers to his lips and extended them toward me.

"I love you, baby. More than my own life. Thank you." Even without vampiric hearing, I understood his words, even as I stood to leave the platform. I told myself as I descended the stairs that I only had five more songs until I could be with him and the thought made me positively giddy. I don't think I had ever sung a better version "Weight of the World". The notes didn't feel like I was straining or pushing. They just seemed to come from deep within and flow out above the crowd. I glanced at JP during the last chorus and he smiled wider than I could ever remember. He nodded his head toward me and winked, giving his approval to my outburst.

When we started the opening for "Tourniquet" I called out my usual dedication to Carlisle, only I got to do it while looking into his beautiful face. He smiled at me in a way that no one had since Charlie had died. He and Esme both blew me a kiss as I turned to face the audience. I noticed as I looked at him that Chip and Edward were talking to each other very animatedly. Chip's face looked wild and elated and I could not wait to find out what the hell that was about. I sang the song with more passion and conviction than I ever had, knowing that my inspiration was just a few feet away from me. The audience seemed to respond to my mood. They seemed almost animalistic in their enthusiasm for the music. Honestly, I don't know when the band had ever sounded tighter. As Jane brought the song to a close with her keyboard, I looked again at Carlisle to see him clapping enthusiastically and smiling brilliantly. But Edward and Chip were not in their seats.

Huh? Where the fuck had Queenie gone and why had he taken my Edward with him. I knew it shouldn't really matter, but I wanted to see Edward's face as we played our closing songs. The crowds always went wild and I wanted to see his reaction.

Jane's piano opened for "Bring Me to Life" and I sang harder and stronger than ever. I wanted this to be the perfect performance of this song. JP and I had both poured so much of ourselves into it when we wrote it, and I wanted Edward to see how much passion he had inspired. I wanted the comfort of looking at him as I climbed the stairs to sing the bridge with JP. I knew whatever Chip had him doing that he would hear the song, but I wanted to **see** him. I had spent far too long without being able to look at his face, and I was a little jealous that Chip had stolen him away from me.

I finished the first verse and was just about to turn to face JP when I heard the voice ring out. The line "**Wake me up!**" was delivered with flawless execution, but it was not JP's voice that sounded out through the PA system. I flung myself around, probably very ungracefully, to find out what was going on and I froze. Solid.

There, on the stage, sitting at my piano and singing my song was Edward. His fingers flew over the keys and he smiled devilishly at me. It was sheer instinct that kept me singing. He looked so God damned perfect sitting there, that if I hadn't been sweating profusely under the lights of the stage, I would have sworn that I was dreaming. I stood stock still in the middle of the stage as we sang the chorus back and forth.

I came to my senses enough to face the crowd for the second verse. They seemed to understand exactly what was happening and were yelling their encouragement toward us. The guys were also responding to the situation unfolding before them. As I turned to sing the chorus again, Dimitri caught my eye and smiled at me. But I couldn't keep my eyes off Edward. His voice was incredible. The perfect dulcet tones of his voice rang out through the room as if he had been doing this forever. In the shock of his appearance on stage, I had all but forgotten my trek around the room on my walkway. It never entered my mind to leave the stage or put any amount of distance between us.

As the song neared the bridge, Dimitri cocked his head toward the end of the piano and nodded. I followed his gaze to the small steps that lead to the top of the piano. I nodded my head at him and took off up the small stairs. At the last second, Dimitri held his hand out for me to balance myself as I jumped onto the grand piano that my mythical Romeo played at. Edward and I belted out the bridge together, never looking anywhere but at each other. The intensity of the lyrics found a whole new meaning as we sang to each other.

It was with a sense of loss that I jumped down from the piano and moved to the front of the stage to end the song. The final note, that had always seemed so taxing at this point in the show, flowed effortlessly. The crowd thundered as Edward played the closing notes of the song and tears of unadulterated joy flowed from the corner of my eyes.

Before I could really catch my breath, Edward began the opening bars of "My Immortal". A laugh of disbelief found its way out of my throat at the sheer impossibility of the scene. I had never once sung "Immortal" without playing it, but I did not hesitate to grab the mike and walk to the end of the piano to do it for the first time. I had barely sung the first two lines of the first verse when Dimitri held his hand out to me again. I took his hand in mine and he guided me back up the stairs and onto the piano once more. But there was no way I was going to stay at the end. I walked very slowly toward Edward, his hands playing with absolute precision, until I was little more than a foot away from him. I slowly lowered myself to my knees in front of him and sat back on my heels as I sang the chorus for the first time. I could not have looked away from him if the devil himself had tried to make me.

Apparently, Edward felt the same way. During the small interlude between the chorus and the second verse, his hand shot out from the keys and gripped my legs. He pulled me to the very edge of the piano and gently pushed my legs to the side. He nodded as his hands returned to the keys. He had not missed a single note, while managing to remove the distance between us. I uncurled my feet from underneath me and laced my legs through is arms with my feet sitting on either side of him on the leather piano bench. Had his body not been blocking mine, I'm sure I would have flashed the entire back stage area a crotch shot.

The entire time I sang the second verse, the hand not holding onto the wireless mike traced the features of my future. I cupped his cheeks and traced his lip with my thumb and even brushed a lock of hair away from his forehead when it threatened to fall into his eyes. He leaned his head into my touch every time. As the second chorus began, I felt shock waves run through me as Edward sang harmony with me. It was the most perfect sound I had ever heard. His voice was exquisite, like every other thing about him. I was flushed with emotions as I sang to him. The moment seemed to perfect to be real.

But he made a perfect moment even better. As I began the bridge, he stood from the bench and leaned his long body toward me, touching his forehead to mine. His eyes were tightly closed and his chest was heaving with unspoken emotions. His jaw was clenched in the effort to keep reined the words I knew were in his mind. As I sang, freer and more unrestrained than ever before, I grasped the back of his neck forcefully. I let the last note of the bridge linger in the air as he played the small solo on the keys that would usher the song to its close. I was distantly aware that the guys did not pick up as the bridge ended, as was normal for our performance. Instead, they had disappeared into the darkened sides of the stage and let the two of us perform the song the way it had originally been written, as it was originally meant to be sung.

I was absolutely powerless against the urge to feel his lips against mine in that moment. So I gave in. I threw both arms around his neck and crashed my mouth against his. This was not the soft gentle kiss of our past. I poured every bit of need and want and passion I had felt for him over the last five years into this kiss. It was almost violent in its intensity and execution. He responded immediately, no hesitation or fear present. His mouth pushed forward to meet every movement of my lips. It took only a second for his tongue to push itself demandingly into my mouth. The cold electric pulse mixed with the heat of my own desire was staggering. My body responded without any more command than the feel of him against me.

His fingers never missed a note. I leaned away slightly to sing the chorus once more, but he apparently detested the distance as much as I did. His arm wrenched its way around my waist and in less time than it took for me to blink; he had pulled me into his lap. I straddled his legs on the piano bench and my arm was wrapped possessively around his shoulder. His arms were extended toward the keys as he rocked us back and forth in time with the music.

Again he sang harmony to my chorus, both of us singing into the wireless mike clutched for dear life in my hand. I finished the vocals and stared into his eyes. As he played the closing notes, I leaned into him and kissed him again. There was less frantic mauling in this kiss, but no less emotion. When the final key had faded out, his right arm wrapped fully around my waist and his left hand tangled into my hair. We were so lost in the feel of one another and the sensations created by our position, neither of us realized the lights on the stage had gone down. He seemed as determined to possess my mouth as I was to give myself to him.

It was only the tap on my arm that brought me out of our Eden. I looked into JP's eyes as he smiled amusingly at me from directly behind Edward. At the change in my position, Edward's mouth moved from my lips to my jaw. The open mouthed kisses he rained on my skin left a trail of fire that lead directly to my core. It was only then that I realized the audience was all but rampaging in their applause.

"I hate to interrupt, but we need to close the show." JP's eyes were alive with mischief and a touch of embarrassment.

I pulled Edward's hair just enough for him to look up at me.

"I've got one more to go. Wait for me where I can see you?"

"Not a fucking chance I'm letting you go." His smile was so brilliant that I could feel my own heart as it threatened to burst from my chest.

"Bella, there is no way he can not sing 'Broken'. Do you hear that fucking crowd? Get your asses upstage and let's blow the roof off this mother fucker."

Edward stood from the piano bench and carried me, my feet just barely off the ground and my arms still wrapped tightly around his shoulders and arms, as Dimitri began the opening of "Broken". I heard JP's voice as he spoke to the crowd on final time.

"Atlanta, that's it for us tonight. It's been a hell of a journey we've been on tonight and we're glad you came with us. We are EverClear and we'll see you all tomorrow night."

We stopped in front of the center mike and stepped apart from each other just enough to not hit the mike. At the last moment before he was to begin singing, JP called out to the crowd once more.

"Ladies and gentleman, Mr. Edward Cullen."

Edward looked to the crowd briefly, almost as if he was noticing them for the first time, and began singing. His voice was sexiest, most erotic thing I had ever heard. He sang every line perfectly and his eyes never left mine. As I joined him for the chorus, his lips formed the most drop dead gorgeous smile. When I stepped forward a little to sing the second verse, he took hold of my hand and kissed the top of it as he introduced me to the crowd. I looked out into the sea of faces and felt as if I had conquered the world. My voice seemed to ring with happiness, even as I sang the lyrics of loss and sorrow.

Collectively, the band worked the crowd into a climax that bordered on orgasmic as we finished the song. Edward's voice was alternately smooth as silk and rough as asphalt. It was sexy and grinding. And like every other part of him, it was mine. He sang the last line of the song and then turned to the crowd and thanked them.

I didn't hear the applause, of the whistles from the Cullens or even the cat calls from the guys on stage with us. Because the moment the lights went down on the stage, Edward picked me up around the waist and crashed his mouth against mine. We stood, motionless in the center of the black stage and reveled in each other. Much to my displeasure, he pulled back slightly from my mouth when my lack of oxygen threatened to over take me.

"Forever, baby. I'll love you forever," he whispered to me as someone pulled on his arm to lead us off the stage.

**Chapter Notes: We made it!!! Angst over, but not the surprises. I think a few of you have been waiting for this one. You know what to do. **


	29. Chapter 29Hot, Sweaty & Interrupted

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that already.**

**Wow! Edward on stage seemed to have struck a chord with you guys. We picked up a lot of new readers with the last two chapters. To all the new groupies, welcome aboard…we're not done yet. To all the long standing groupies, you have my heart felt thanks for all the love and support.**

Chapter 29-Hot, Sweaty & Interrupted

EPOV

I could count on one hand the number of times I have ever made a split second decision. My anal retentive brain tended to inspire me to over-think and over analyze everything I ever did. But when Chip turned to me and asked me how well I knew that last three songs of the show, I couldn't resist the temptation of the scene I saw in his head. Me, on stage with Bella. The only reassurance I had of my decision at the moment I followed him, once again, down into the belly of the stage was the eager nodding of Alice's head.

"I think this will work best if she doesn't see you come onto the stage." Chip spoke as if this was a CIA inspired plot. He pulled a guy with very long black hair to the side and told him when the lights went out to let me onto the stage. The guy looked simply stunned, but he made no attempt to argue.

The rush of hearing the crowd roar and the feel of the stage lights was an experience I will never forget. I could understand why this was so appealing to musicians. There was a palpable feel to the energy on the stage. But nothing, I mean nothing, was as adrenaline- inducing as the look on Bella's face as she wheeled around to find the source of the strange voice that answered her as she sung out the chorus of the song. A hundred different emotions flew across her eyes before landing on shocked pleasure. I could not have looked at anything but her in that moment, even if under threat of dismemberment.

But when she ran up the small staircase that led to the top of the piano, it was my turn to be stunned. She stood atop the piano, dripping in sweat from her excursion and her body heaving in exhaustion, and looked like the embodiment of perfection. When she sung to me; my entire body physically felt every note. My body almost quaked with the force and emotion of her delivery. There was such a tremendous power in her performance, and I tried to return that power with my own voice. As she closed the song, I looked to my family. Carlisle was smiling at us like an indulgent parent that couldn't believe the trouble his mischievous children were causing. Esme and Alice had their arms around each other and were literally jumping up and down. Both wore smiles that stretched from ear to ear and they both blew me a small kiss. My brothers had their hands raised above their heads and were screaming a little too loudly to pass as humans. They were grinning and laughing as they showed their appreciation for "my little stunt" as Jasper was referring to it in his head. But Rosalie was the one that surprised me the most. She was not looking at me or at the family at all. She was on her feet clapping and yelling for Bella. Her thoughts were as loving toward Bella as they had ever been toward my siblings.

I wasn't sure how Bella would react to me playing "My Immortal" but I didn't want to leave her, even for the short amount of time it would take for her to play the two remaining songs. My unspoken thoughts were answered when JP leaned his body toward me.

"Dude, you know the next one?" I nodded my head as I looked over my shoulder to him. "Good, keep fucking going, the crowd is eating this shit up."

There was a moment of hesitancy when she turned to look at me as the first notes of her song rang out, but she recovered immediately. There were tears in her eyes, but the glorious smile on her face told me they were tears of happiness. She walked back toward the piano and the guitarist held his hand out to help her back onto the top. She sang the song as she walked toward me and then very gracefully, she knelt down and sat on her heels. But even that was further away than I wanted her to be. The fist chance I got, I pulled her to the edge of the piano. She knew immediately what my intentions were and pushed her legs down, across the keys and rested her feet on either side of me.

She sang the entire verse while she touched me tenderly. Everywhere her fingers caressed me; I felt that familiar spark rush through my body. It was simply amazing what she could express with a single gesture; the soft affection as she stroked of my cheek, the erotic tracing of my lip or the caring concern as she pushed the strands of hair from my eyes. They were all gestures of love and my heart swelled with each movement. But her eyes were what I drown in as I played. Her beautiful eyes, always so open and expressive, shown with unrepentant love and forgiveness and understanding.

I couldn't control my body when I stood up during the bridge; I just needed to close the distance even more. The emotions the lyrics had provoked just two nights ago were intensified exponentially while she locked her hands around my neck and pulled me as close as possible. The only space that we allowed between us was what was necessary for the microphone in her hand.

My world simply exploded when she kissed me though. I should not have been as happy as I was that she moved to kiss me first, but I was. I had thought of kissing her a thousand times in the last forty-eight hours, but I was ecstatic that her needs and desire were as overwhelming and compelling as my own. My petrified heart truly seemed to become reanimated in that moment. Her lips, so soft and warm and inviting, sparked a flame inside of me that all but brought about a rebirth of sorts. Every nerve in my body, every cell of my being flamed in the instant that she kissed me. This was not the reunion kiss I had ever imagined, but it was infinitely better.

I pulled her entire body onto my lap to finish the song out of sheer desperation to not be parted from her touch. This was by far the most intimate position I had ever found myself in with Bella, but it seemed so natural it was almost frightening. Her hold on my neck never lessened and she pulled herself as close as possible to finish the song. Her body fit perfectly into mine and her scent absolutely invaded my senses. It was Heaven on Earth to have her so close to me.

The soul searing kiss that we shared as the last notes died out solidified my belief that we had both been created for the sole purpose of loving each other. One would never be whole without the other.

As we began the last song of the show, I could not have been any more impatient for it to finish. The need to feel her, to kiss her and hear her sweet voice whisper her love for me was all encompassing. All through the song, I touched her. I could not allow any form of separation between us. To my relief, she seemed to be of the same mind set. Every time I touched her hand or put my arm around her, she smiled at me, even as she continued to sing. Her voice flowed so effortlessly that it was easy to believe it was just the two of us on the stage. It was an incredible high to be surrounded by the force of such a bizarre scenario. Her presence on the stage was all consuming. Neither I nor the audience below us could resist her as she belted out the final notes of the song.

As the lights came down to cover the stage in darkness, I pulled her body fully against mine. Every curve fit against my body in the most familiar and unfamiliar way. My own body remembered the feel of her skin against mine, of her chest pressed against me and of her arms encircling me. But my body allowed reactions that it never had before. Ok, so maybe it wasn't my body but my own fucking head that had never allowed the reactions she was inspiring.

"Forever, baby. I'll love you forever." I whispered it to her as a promise, as a dream and as a prayer.

Her response was a kiss that would probably leave the skin around her lips bruised. She gripped the back of my head so hard it was almost painful for me. Almost. Her mouth immediately opened to mine and my tongue dove inside to claim the fire that I had been without for far too long. Her arms were wrapped around my neck in what would have been a strangle hold if I were human and her eyes stared into mine. I could see the love and joy I felt in my own chest shining back at me. I was home, where I had always belonged, even when I was too stupid to know it.

There was a part of my brain that was aware of everything that was going on around me. I could feel myself being pulled backwards away from the front of the stage by someone whose thoughts were in a total state of shock. I could hear the voices of the other members of EverClear yelling various forms of congratulations to Bella. I was also aware of the turmoil that the crowd was in, their thoughts running from stunned disbelief to outright jealousy. But none of it mattered. The only thing that held any importance to me was Bella. My Bella.

As we reached the edge of the stage that led to the dressing rooms, I lifted her feet from the ground, turned us and headed down the stairs. I knew which room was hers and I could think of nothing but getting us there. There was a lot that we needed to talk about, there were bound to be a multitude of people that we needed to speak to about what had just happened and I'm sure there were things that needed to happen with her band to finish up the night. But I truly didn't give a shit about any of it. My one and only goal was to be alone, for just a few minutes, with her. I needed to feel her body against mine to reassure myself that I had not, in fact, gone insane and that this was not some cruel hallucination.

I walked the few steps down the hallway in a daze as her lips never lost contact with my skin. She kissed my jaw, my neck, my ear. Any part of me that she could reach. Her need for reassurance was as frenzied as my own. I recaptured her lips as I stepped into the small room that smelled so pungently of her beautifully torturous scent and kicked the door closed behind me. The feel of her tongue in my mouth was the most exquisite pleasure I had ever experienced. She pushed into my mouth with a force I didn't know she possessed. Her arms grasped at my shoulders and neck frantically. I could feel her heart beat out of control and her lungs were straining with the effort to obtain the oxygen her body needed. Reluctantly, I pulled back from her to allow the much needed air to fill her lungs.

"Bella…breathe."

She shook her head from side to side and crushed herself against me. My instincts kicked in at that very moment. But not the monstrous instincts I had always feared. The human man in my reared his head in desire and need. My arms tightened around her and I pressed myself against her hips. I trailed my lips down her neck to the point just below her ear. I could hear and feel the blood rushing just beneath the skin, but there was no siren's call for her blood. There was only the call of her heart and her body.

I spun us around and backed her up to the door, lifting her further off the ground and pushing her slightly higher. Her legs wrapped around my waist and I was immediately aware of the heat pouring from her body. I licked a trail of perspiration as it trickled down her neck and over her exposed collar bones. The taste was mind altering. Her essence, intensified with her exertion from the night, was just short of orgasmic in its flavor. My right hand cupped her perfect almost completely exposed ass and my left was pressed against the door in an attempt to balance us.

It was pure lustful instinct that led me as my mouth found the small thread that laced the front of her dress together. In a movement I'm not sure she was even aware of, I pulled the offending string between my teeth and bit. The venom of my teeth disintegrated the offending ribbon in less than a second and the material fell away, exposing the tantalizing swell of her chest. I had been a fucking idiot to deny myself the perfection of her skin. I kissed the smooth, all be it soaking wet, skin just above her heart. I could feel the rapid beating beneath my lips. I could feel the muscles deep in her body as they worked furiously to pump the sweetest blood on the planet through her veins.

"Ed…Edward?" Her words broke as she gasped for breath.

I looked into her eyes, expecting hesitancy or fear or anger. What looked back at me was unbridled lust. The sheer force of her desire sent shock waves through my body that all ended in my cock. In less than a second, I was steel fucking hard with Bella locked very firmly around my waist. I should have been embarrassed at my display or fearful for her reaction. But I wasn't. Instead, I was enthralled with her obvious desire for me. The scent of her arousal was all consuming as it combined with the sheen of sweat that covered her body and the lingering fragrance of her dressing room.

"What, baby? What do you want?" I hardly recognized my own voice as I answered her. I had "dazzled" Bella often when we were together, but this voice was something new. It was low and gravely and totally foreign.

"Couch," she panted into my neck.

Fuck human pace. I made it to the couch and had her on her back before her heart could complete a solitary beat. I pressed my body into hers as our mouths continued their exploration of each other. I was very aware that her dress had hiked dangerously high up on her hips when I laid her back. She shifted beneath me slightly and opened her legs. My body instinctively nestled itself in the inviting space and our hip bones ground against each other.

I was about to fucking lose it. She felt so God damned good beneath me. If I had gotten any harder, I was going to shoot my load without ever touching my pants. Not exactly the impression I wanted to make. I worked very hard to concentrate on the sensation of her wrapped around me and not the throb that was steadily picking up pace in my groin. But as she wrapped one leg over my hip and rocked against me, the heel of her boot scraped a path from my ass to my thigh and I moaned into her mouth with abandon.

It could have been seconds or minutes or days that passed. We were tangled into each other, hands exploring, mouths seeking, hips pushing into one another. It was the most sinful feeling I had ever experienced. Her tiny fingers found their way to my chest and in a lightning quick movement, she pulled my dress shirt apart, sending buttons scattering across the room. Her hands traced the planes of my chest. The feeling was so reminiscent of our first day in the meadow when she had stroked my hand and arm so hesitantly that I was momentarily taken back to that most perfect of afternoons.

Her mouth on my chest brought me crashing back to the present. Her tongue followed the pattern her hands had carved. I tried very hard, but failed, to stifle the growl that erupted from my chest. I pulled back slightly to look at her, afraid I had frightened her. It had, after all, been a very long time since she was as close to a vampire as she was at this moment and I didn't want to frighten her.

But, as usual, Bella did exactly the opposite of what I expected. She didn't pull away or hesitate or even shudder. She moaned. Fucking moaned.

Much to my displeasure, there was a loud series of bangs on the door that interrupted.

"I'll count to five and then I'm coming in. I do have the key to this door, so don't think I won't." Chip's voice rang through the wood of the door.

"Oh, fuck me. Does he have to do this now?" Bella's mouth never left my chest as she spoke. Fuuuccckkk. Dirty talking Bella was lying beneath me, hot and sweaty and very aroused.

"Ignore him," I mumbled as I pulled the fabric away from her breast and place an open mouth kiss on the inside curve of it.

"Can you ever ignore Alice?" She looked up at me, her eyes heavy and hooded with desire.

"Point taken." I had just nosed the fabric back over her chest and started to push myself up and off of her when the door burst open.

Chip's eyes took in the scene before him and his thoughts went wild. The image from his mind was not an unpleasant one. The two of us stretched out, hips crammed together, her dress hiked up nearly to her waist, the bodice unlaced and open nearly to her navel and my shirt hanging wide open.

"Holy hell! You two don't waste time do you?" The little man stared wide eyed and amused as he shamelessly ogled the two of us.

"Will you close that fucking door on your way out Queenie?" Bella's hiss was nearly as impressive as if she had actually been a vampire.

"No can do, baby girl. I must say though, I much prefer finding you like this in the dressing room as opposed to face down and unconscious."

"Um…Chip; is there something we can help you with?" I really did try to sound polite, but I'm pretty sure I failed miserably. All I could think of at that moment was continuing our exploration of each other.

"I know you don't want to hear this, but we are supposed to go back to Bacchus' Cellar tonight. Contractual obligation and all. I think we are going to have an issue with the owner if you don't show up. So, get that over heated ass out from under the vampire and let's get you dressed."

"No" She fisted the material of my shirt and tugged me back toward her. I complied easily, wrapping my arms around her and laying my head on her chest just above her heart. I could literally listen to it beat for the rest of eternity. Once I was were she apparently wanted me, her hands left my chest and burrowed into my hair. She lightly scrapped back and forth across my scalp with her nails, earning a very grateful moan.

"I swear if you start purring, I am having your vampire card pulled. Now get off her!"

"No," we chorused in unison, although she sounded angrier than I did. I was too lost in the perfection of her to be truly angry at anything.

"Bella, fuck, come on. You have never bailed on an appearance and you can't start now. There are five hundred different cell phones with video of your little performance that will be downloaded onto YouTube by tomorrow morning. You have to show up tonight, if for no other reason than to dissolve the rumors that I am sure are flying right now."

"Like what?" I didn't even try to hide the curiosity in my voice.

"Oh, like who the hell are you? What the hell was that out there? Are you the mysterious man of the songs? Are you part of the band now? Are you fucking heavy metal's most infamous virgin? Basics. Just wait until the internet chatter gets started."

I looked into her eyes with true remorse. I really had not meant to cause any problems for her or the band. I just couldn't stay away from her any longer. I expected to find her blushing, but what I got was a devilish grin that reminded me of the cat that ate the canary.

"Let them talk. I don't care." She tugged on my hair and shrugged her shoulders slightly. Then she smiled that demon's smile at me and purred, "Would it really be so terrible for people to think I'm fucking this gorgeous man?"

Dear. God.

I was going to spontaneously combust if another word came out of her mouth.

I kissed her as hard as I could and ground myself into her body shamelessly. Jesus, I was really starting to be a little scared of this Bella. This was a much more dominating Bella than the girl of so long ago. And I fucking loved it.

"Enough with the tongue wrestling. Get your ass off her please. I cannot have her out in public looking like shit." Chip's hand tugged at the sleeve of my jacket, trying in vain to pull me from my love.

She huffed out a breath, making it obvious how displeased she was.

"I will give you thirty minutes and then we're gone. And I want our family there also. I haven't seen them in so long. Make it happen and I'll be a good little girl." She was so adorable when she was being demanding and difficult.

"No dice, one hour minimum. But, I'll go let everyone know the plan. In the meantime, please extricate your self from the man's pants."

I couldn't help but laugh. As the door clicked behind him, I looked at my Bella. She was mine, once again and this time I would never let her go.

"Baby, I love this side of you. Such a little bitch." I kissed the tip of her nose to make sure she knew I was teasing her.

"I love this side of you too. I have never heard you curse until tonight. I kind of like it. It's quite the turn on. And when did I become 'baby'?" Her eyes danced with amusement.

"You've always been 'baby' or 'love' in my head; I just quit filtering it a long time ago. As for the cursing, well, my brothers aren't the best example of a clean vocabulary. Does it bother you?" I gave her my best smirk as I ground my hips against hers.

"Mmmm…," she pushed her hips back into mine, "not at all. I told you, quite the turn on. And as for "baby", I **really** like that. It's very endearing. But I think we need to get up before Chip returns with a fire hose." Her eyes were wicked with excitement. But then they turned serious in the next heart beat. She swallowed hard and looked at me from under her lashes as she spoke so quietly I had to strain to hear her. "Please don't ever leave me again. I don't think I could survive it. I know there is a lot we need to talk about, but just promise me that. I can't go through that again. I won't make it out the other side a second time."

I sat up and pulled her into my lap facing me. I cupped her cheeks in my hands so that she had to look at me.

"Never. I will never again leave your side. I promise…no, that's not good enough. I swear on all that I hold dear, Bella, I will never again be parted from you. As long as you want me, I'm here and I'm yours. I love you. I have **always** loved you. I **will** always love you."

Tears sparkled in her eyes as she leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to mine. This was not the unbridled fire that had consumed us just moments before, this was love. Deep and pure and promising and needful.

"GET OFF THE FUCKING VAMPIRE!" Chip stood in the once again open doorway red-faced.

"Will you lower your voice? Jesus, just get on the mike and announce it one time." Bella snarled.

He completely ignored her. He closed the door and walked to a rack of clothes in the corner. He only flipped through a few hangers before he turned and looked at me.

"What do you want, pants or a dress or a skirt?"

"Since when did I get left out of the decision?" Her pout was maddeningly erotic as she snipped her displeasure to Chip.

"Please, Honey, you never had any input. If you could make that choice on your own, you wouldn't need me so desperately."

"It doesn't matter. She looks beautiful in everything."

She smiled so sweetly at me it almost hurt. She slid off my lap, skirt still hiked high and walked to the small table surrounded by lights. Without hesitation, she peeled her dress off and picked up a towel. She stood with her back to me in absolutely nothing except very small dark blue panties and her thigh high boots.

"Fuck me." I stared unabashedly. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and looked back at me. The sweet smile from moments ago was replaced with the mask of a true vixen.

"Are you a fan Mr. Cullen?"

"You two stop that shit right now. We have to leave in fifteen minutes and you, my sweet girl, stink. Get your ass in the shower pronto."

She blew him a kiss and then dropped the towel as she walked to the small door that apparently concealed the bathroom. The vision of her bare hips swaying so seductively in the mile high heels with her hair flowing down her back would be forever burned into my memory, even without photographic recall.

A small chuckle pulled my from the indecent fantasy that flooded my mind.

"Stunning isn't she. If she ever realizes how gorgeous she really is, we may all be in trouble."

"I'm open to any suggestions on how to make that happen. I tried to tell her every day, but she never wanted to hear it."

"I know. I picked up where you left off. Edward, you know I have to say this once more. If you ever pull a stunt like you did five years ago…"

"I know, Chip, I know. You'll hunt me down." I looked at him with stern seriousness in my eyes. I wanted him to understand, as much as possible, how serious I was. "I'm going to ask her to marry me tonight. Fuck the big wedding, fuck the all the production. I just want her always. I want her to be secure in my arms and my love and in her trust for me. I know it will take time for her to completely trust me, but I want to do anything I can to help her feel safer about allowing me back into her life."

He just stared at me, mouth slightly agape.

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"100%. If she'll do it tonight, the arrangements are already in place. All she has to do is say 'yes'."

"Shit. This little rock and roll fairy tale just gets better and better. You do realize there will be fall out from all of this? The label, the band, the fans…everyone is going to have an opinion about this whole situation."

"We'll deal with it together; however she wants to handle it. Do you think it will damage her career?"

"Not if it's handled properly. If we do this right, this could push the band over the edge and into the big times. If that's what they want. I think you'll be surprised how little the fame means to any of them. This has always been about the music and the emotional release for them. That's what makes them so damn good."

He pulled several garments from the rack and laid them out on the end of the couch opposite from me. I could hear the water cut off in the small bathroom and I turned my head just in time to see him walk directly into the room without a moment's pause.

What the fuck?

As he stepped back into the larger room, he caught my expression. I was apparently not doing a great job of hiding my anger.

"Relax, pretty boy. She has nothing I am remotely interested in. Besides, I can promise you I have seen more of her body than you have. At least for the time being." His smirk would have been humorous if his words had not been true.

"So, do you still want me to add more fabric to her outfits?"

"On stage, abso-fucking-lutely. But what you provide for her to wear during the day, decrease the fabric by more than half. You know what, on second thought, I don't think she really even needs clothing when she's not on stage."

He snorted as she reappeared wrapped in a very small towel. She looked at me and smiled the most beautiful smile as she tilted her head to the right slightly.

"I have waited a long time to see you waiting for me after a show."

I was over to her in an instant, wrapping my arms around her. I pulled her close to my chest and she tucked her head into the crook of my neck.

"I will be waiting for you at the end of every show you ever do, Baby." I kissed her forehead and closed my eyes as we gently rocked back and forth.

"Oh, God, you two are going to make me vomit any moment." His face told a very different story. He looked positively elated at the scene he was witnessing. His thoughts were completely open to me in that moment and he was relishing in seeing her so peaceful.

She stepped away just a little and looked at Chip menacingly, or at least as menacingly as Bella could ever look.

"All right, you have a very limited amount of time here and I am only caving because I want to see the Cullens. So let's get this over with. What are you stuffing me into?

I picked the outfit out of his head and smiled very widely at him.

This was in no way, shape or form the reunion I had ever envisioned for the two of us. But it could not have been any more perfect. We were together, peaceful and surrounded by people that loved us. I hoped she could feel the enormity of my happiness at this moment.

"Oh, shit, I'm in trouble aren't I," she asked as she looked between the two of us. We both nodded.

**Chapter Notes: You guys are so going to hate me (or Chip) after this one. I'm almost scared to hear what you have to say. But let me have it, I can take it.**


	30. Chapter 30Monkeys on Parade

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

**I'm very happy that only a few of you wanted to kill me (or Chip) after the last chapter. I know it was kind of a tease, but I appreciate the patience. I promise not too much longer.**

**You know what I'm looking for at the end of the chapter. Let me have 'em, please.**

Chapter 30-Monkeys on Parade

BPOV

"Oh, shit, I'm in trouble aren't I?" The twin shit eating smiles that graced the faces of my two favorite people in the world should have frightened me. But I could feel nothing but over-powering happiness at that moment.

Edward.

God, Edward.

How many times over the last five years had I dreamt of being back in his arms or feeling his lips pressed against mine. Too many to count, that was for sure. But the most staggering dream realized was that above all else, he loved me. He had never stopped loving me. He had been in as much pain over the years as I had. Our separation had been as difficult for him to bear as it had been for me. The comfort in that knowledge filled me with both guilt and elation. I shouldn't have relished in his pain, but I was overjoyed to know that he had never wanted us to be apart.

All of the time, all of the tears, all of the pain…none of it mattered anymore. What mattered was that despite everything we needed to work through and talk about, we would do it together.

So it was with absolute serenity that I found myself perched in his lap in the back seat of a car Chip had arranged for the three of us. There really wasn't a need for me to sit on him, there was plenty of room. But there was no tolerance for space between us. From either of us. His hands seemed as determined to be on me as I was to have them on me. It was only the lure of seeing the Cullens again that had convinced me to leave the inferno of the couch in the dressing room to begin with.

"Do you have any idea how incredible you look?" Edward purred to me. His left hand gently traced my completely exposed back in long light strokes while the fingers of his right hand gently grasp my thigh, anchoring my body to his as he nuzzled into my neck. The dress that he and Chip had chosen was a very deep blue silk. The neckline was cut low and the small spaghetti straps barely kept the dress on my shoulders. The hemline fell only a couple of inches below my rear. But the main draw for Edward, at least, was that the back of the dress was non-existent. Even standing straight, the curve of the dress showed just a hint of my ass. When I had asked him what he thought of it in the dressing room at Blood Lust, I'd turned in a small circle to model it for him. Before I could complete my spin, he was behind me. He'd pushed my hair over my shoulder and then very slowly, without uttering a word, licked a trail from the base of my hairline straight down my spine to the very edge of the fabric where it curved over my rear. The shivers that broke out from head to toe had nearly derailed all plans for leaving the tiny room. Dark blue stilettos that he had fastened around my ankle as he kissed my calves and my chocker finished off the ensemble.

"Not really, but I take it you like the dress."

"Like doesn't come close. I fucking love this dress." His finger slipped below the fabric and very lightly caressed the curve of my ass, causing another round of shivers.

"Oh, for God sakes, will you two please drop the seduction. We all know that you're ready to attack each other. Hell, three thousand people watched you all but dry hump each other at he piano."

"I did not dry hump anyone, thank you very much." I tried to be indignant, but I couldn't. He had a point.

"Ok, baby girl, this is how this will work." Chip's ploy for changing the subject was neither subtle nor unwelcome. The guys are meeting you there. You'll arrive with them, just like always. There should be about the same number of people to rub elbows with as last night, so you can figure about an hour's worth of playing nice. Edward, when we get there, you and I will meet up with your family to give her a chance to do what she needs to do. After that, I think a formal introduction of everyone is called for. I get the distinct impression that you guys are going to be spending a lot of time together and it might help if everyone knew each other. Any questions?"

Chip was in full work mode, so I knew that arguing with him would be pointless. I really wanted Edward beside me, but until we had a chance to talk the night's events over with the guys, I knew I needed to just act like nothing had happened.

"Don't worry, Love, I won't take my eyes off you all night. The moment you're done, I'll be there." His exquisite smile was the best comfort I could have asked for at that moment.

"I thought you couldn't read my mind."

"I can't. But I can read your eyes. I promise I will never be further away from you than nod in my direction." He kissed me; not the brutal kiss of our immediate reunion, but enough to ignite the flame within my chest. His tongue gently pushed into my mouth as his hand slid into my hair. The low moan that escaped his throat sent waves of lust rippling through my entire body.

"Enough, Edward. You're gonna fuck up her hair."

"I am really starting to not like him," he laughed. He kissed me once more and then he released me.

I slid into the seat between them as we rounded the corner and Bacchus' Corner came into view. There seemed to be an incredibly large number of people waiting to get inside the club.

"Baby girl, this is our stop. The car will take you around back and you'll find your welcoming committee just inside the door."

Edward turned his eyes to me and leaned his forehead toward me until it barely touched my own.

"I love you, Baby. I'll be waiting for you. We'll be upstairs in the balcony."

"I love you too, Edward."

I lost sight of them going into the club as the car pulled around the corner and headed to the rear entrance. There must have been a door like this one in every bar in the country. The alley entrance was generally used for deliveries, but it came in handy for clandestine entrances as well.

The car had barely pulled to a stop when the door was wrenched open and a large tattooed arm shot into the space and grabbed my wrist.

"JP…what the…?" The remainder of my sentence died in my throat as JP pulled me out of the car and into his arms in one fluid moment. His arms were so tight around my waist; it was actually a little painful. "What the hell are you doing?"

"God damn, that was fucking epic. Do you know what that show is going to do for us?" I had never, in the four years we had been friends seen him this excited. His eyes sparkled. His dread locks were pulled away from his face and tied at the base of his neck, leaving his child-like expression open for everyone to see.

"Glad to I could amuse you."

"Oh, fuck you, you know what I mean. That was fucking intense. You ok?"

I smiled at my buddy and cohort. JP and I had been through so much together. We were as close as siblings and I loved him dearly. His no nonsense, no bullshit approach to life was just the right kick in the butt for me at times. He never sugar coated his words and he never censored his thoughts. But he would have fought with his last breath for any of us. His loyalty was one of the things that reminded me most of Emmett.

"Better than ok. I keep waiting to wake up."

"Oh crap, are you gonna go all soft on me now?" he teased.

"Hopefully."

He set me on my feet and kissed my forehead. I pulled back to look at him. In all our time together, he had never been so blatantly affectionate. We had yelled at each other like banshees, we had thrown things at each other; we had been complimentary to each other. We both knew that we loved each other, but never, had he been so open.

"What was that for?"

"Be happy Bella. If he's what you want, be happy with him. Don't fuck it up and don't let him fuck it up. Love him with all your heart and let him love you with all of his."

"Thank you. I love you too you know." The words came out as whispers with the depth of my emotions.

"I love you too, Bitch. Come on, let's get this shit over with and get drunk."

I groaned.

"No thanks, but I do want you to meet our family."

His eyebrows shot up.

"**Our** family? Did you marry the fucker in the last hour?"

"No, but you know I've always thought of them as my family."

"Would you marry him, if he asked?" His face was dead serious and his hand gripped the iron handle of the door hard enough to make his knuckles turn white.

I thought about that. Would I marry Edward if he asked? Marriage had never been a real priority for me before I met Edward. And after he left, I had all but erased the word from my vocabulary. But would I want that now that Edward was back in my life?

I looked into my friends curious eyes and smiled.

"Oh, hell no! You'd run off to marry a fucking vampire and leave me holding my dick?"

"I wouldn't leave you holding anything, but yeah, I think I would marry him."

"Well, shit. Bella fucking Swan has officially deserted me." His chuckle told me he didn't really believe such a ridiculous thing. "Inside, Wench."

We joined the rest of the band just inside the door. Dimitri and Jane both rushed to hug me the moment I stepped in. Felix nodded in a mock bow to me. They all seemed genuinely happy for me, but I knew we needed to sit down and talk through all the consequences of my stunt at some point.

Not now though. Now we needed to speed our way through the kiss-ass we were expected to perform, so that I could catch up with the people I really wanted to see.

We walked through the back hall and into the bar. The moment the door opened, we were hit with a wave of claps and cheers. The room seemed to be bursting with people and they all seemed to be on their feet.

The sickening owner rushed toward us, his hands out stretched as if we were old friends. The phony smile on his face was truly repulsive to behold

"Come, my Babies, let me introduce you to a few friends."

I cut my eyes at JP, who looked like he was on the verge of hurling at the display the asswipe was putting on for everyone. I couldn't help but laugh.

I looked up into the balcony for the faces I longed for. And found them instantly. How I had ever believed they were anything other than mythical creatures was truly beyond me. They were stunningly beautiful in their perfection.

And every one of them looked directly at me. They all, including Rosalie, smiled and clapped for our entry. Alice, tiny and fluid, was bouncing with her enthusiasm.

God, I had missed them all so much. I felt the tears pool in my eyes as I gazed back at the family I had mourned almost as much as the man that had introduced me to them.

The man in question stood in the very center of his family, his fingers in his mouth whistling. The volume was incredible, even from this distance. My heart swelled with love and pride as I looked at him.

He pulled his fingers from his mouth and then cut his eyes at JP. The expression on his face when he looked back at me was foreign. It wasn't angry or anxious, but it didn't seem happy or excited either. He seemed stunned in to stillness.

The look was gone as quickly as it had obscured his angel's face and was replaced by a smile that truly could have warmed the planet. He absolutely beamed at me. His hand crossed his chest and touched his silent heart.

I couldn't help but smile back at such an infinitely adoring smile.

As we made our way around the room, I was acutely aware of his eyes as they followed me. Every step I took, every person I shook hands with, every picture we posed for was bathed in his gaze. The electric pulse that had always been present when we touched seemed to have extended its reach. I physically felt him from across the room. It was fire and ice and lightning and heat combined into one intertwining thread that kept me bound to his presence.

Mercifully, our duties didn't take too terribly long. When we had been paraded around the bar like monkeys long enough, we were released. Dimitri and Felix headed straight to the bar and into a throng of women batting their lashes. Jane and JP walked toward the balcony after a quick promise to come find us later.

I made a beeline for the stairs that would lead me to the Cullens.

As I reached the top step, an elegantly long pale hand extended itself toward me. I reached out and placed my hand in his as I met his eyes. They were radiant.

"There are some very excited people waiting for you Baby."


	31. Chapter 31A Family Reunited

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that already.**

**I'm extremely happy that only a couple of you wanted to murder Chip (or me!). Time to be nice, here's the reunion everyone has been asking for. Let me know what you guys think. Big hugs and kisses to you all**

Chapter 31-A Family Reunited

EPOV

She was simply stunning in the dress Chip had laid out for her. She was even more stunning atop my lap with her arms wrapped around my neck. The car ride to the club wasn't nearly long enough for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed every second it. I wanted nothing more than to stay perfectly still wrapped in her arms and swathed in her love. But that, unfortunately, was not in the foreseeable future.

I detested the idea of being parted from her while in the club, particularly when I knew she would be near the troll that owned the place. I would have to make sure to intentionally block out his thoughts when she was near him. Homicide was not what I had in mind for this evening. But she had to work, I knew that, and I wanted to do everything in my power to make that easier for her. I was thrilled when she seemed reluctant to leave my side until I recognized the emotion in her eyes.

Fear.

She was afraid to leave my side, no doubt expecting me to disappear again. I knew that only time would truly solidify my presence, but I wanted so desperately to take away the panic I saw in those immaculate eyes.

"Don't worry, love, I won't take my eyes off you all night. The moment you're done, I'll be there." I tried to smile reassuringly at her.

"I thought you couldn't read my mind."

"I can't. But I can read your eyes. I promise I will never be further away from you than nod in my direction." I kissed her with as much passion as I could, given our current situation. I wanted to try to ease her rapidly accelerated heart beat, but her mouth sparked such intensity in me, that I moaned involuntarily.

"Enough, Edward. You're gonna fuck up her hair."

"I am really starting to not like him," I playfully growled in Chip's direction. In truth, I was more indebted to Chip that I would ever be able to repay.

As we exited the car, I took one quick look back as the car pulled around the back of the building. I could hear the thoughts of JP waiting in the back for her, so I relaxed and followed Chip inside the odd little club.

Alice was ready to pounce the second I stepped foot onto the tile floor of the main lounge area.

"Not that I don't love you two, but where is she?" Her eyes darted around the room at a dizzying pace.

"Relax, she'll be in with the band, they'll do their thing and then we have her for the rest of the night."

Alice had taken Chip by the hand and pulled him into a very distracted hug while she searched for Bella.

"Uh huh…until you decide to steal her away and keep her all to yourself." The wicked grin she flashed me told me she had seem something of the night to come. If the gleam in her eye was a sign, tonight would involve certain…activities… I had spent a great deal of time thinking about.

"Come on, everyone's waiting upstairs."

I crossed the threshold of the top stair and was pulled into a hug of bone crushing strength. I pulled back, expecting to see my brother's face smirking at me, only to see my mother. Her eyes were wide and glistening and the smile on her face rivaled the most magnificent sunrise.

"Oh, Edward, I am so happy for you both. Honey that was the most incredible thing I have ever witnessed. I couldn't be more proud of you." She leaned forward and kissed me gently on the forehead before pulling me toward her once more.

"Thank you, Mom. But the credit goes to Bella."

"Where is she? I don't think I can stand it much longer." Her words were rushed with their sincerity.

"She'll be here soon. She has to work for a little while, but she'll be here soon."

I wrapped my arm around my mother's waist as she slid her arm around my shoulder and led me to my waiting family.

"That was so fucking cool, bro. I didn't think you had the stones to pull something like that." Emmett, in true form, picked both Esme and me up in his arms and hugged us to his chest.

"Emmett!" we yelled in unison.

"I know, I know. But seriously, Mom, did you ever think you'd see anything like that from either one of them?"

She just laughed and looked at me lovingly.

It was that moment that the rear door beside the bar opened and they stepped through.

The patrons all turned toward them and began to cheer and clap. Obviously, there was a buzz about the performance tonight. Bella looked absolutely gorgeous. She almost shined as she made her way across the floor next to JP.

My family joined into the applause enthusiastically. Jasper and Emmett put on a particularly hysterical show of pumping their arms in the air. They looked mildly spasmodic.

The owner of the two clubs made his way toward them, his arms out stretched. The looks on both Bella and JP's faces were identical. They both looked repulsed at his display. I joined my family in their celebration, hoping to bring her attention to our location.

I had just brought my hands to my mouth and begun to whistle when I caught JP's thoughts.

"…_marry him. Bella fucking married. How in the hell is that going to work. The guy is talented; I guess if we need to we can put him in the line-up. Shit, don't let her bail to go play housewife just when we start to break through. "_

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. JP's inner musings were centered on a conversation that had taken place just moments before they walked into the bar. A conversation about us. And marriage.

"_Would you marry him, if he asked?"_

_She looked at him and smiled her glorious smile._

"_Oh, hell no! You'd run off to marry a fucking vampire and leave me holding my dick?"_

"_I wouldn't leave you holding anything, but yeah, I think I would marry him."_

Mother of God.

She'd marry me.

She **wanted** to marry me.

Her eyes caught mine at that very second. I had no idea what the look on my face was, but it had to have been confusing. The myriad of thoughts and emotions that flew through my body verged on uncontrollable.

Bella Cullen.

My heart actually seemed to flutter in my chest at the thought.

That was exactly how the world should be.

I was suddenly so anxious for her to join me, I could hardly stand still. My gaze wandered until I could find her. It took a fraction of a second. Even if she hadn't been so fucking beautiful, even if her scent didn't call to me so strongly, I still would have been able to find her instantaneously. There seemed to be a physical link connecting us.

She enchanted everyone she came into contact with as she made her way through the crowd. Time seemed to slow to a crawl the closer she made her way toward the staircase that would lead her to me.

My breathing sped as I watched the band members separate and head in different directions.

"Guys," I called over my shoulder. "She's here."

I stepped to the top of the staircase just as she began her ascent. She looked into my eyes and my heart nearly burst. She took my extended hand without a moment's hesitation.

"There are some very excited people waiting for you, Baby." I pulled her against my chest and wrapped my arms around her. My lips had barely touched hers when a shriek rang out behind us.

The blur of ebony hair and ivory skin that flew between us nearly knocked us off our feet.

My sister had managed to wedge herself between our bodies and had her arms locked around Bella's stunned form.

"Oh…Bella…oh, Christ I've missed you!" Alice pulled her arms from Bella's body only long enough to grab the sides of her head and pull her forward. She kissed both cheeks rapidly before she flung her arms around my love's neck.

"Oh, Alice. I missed you so much." Tears sparkled in Bella's eyes as she gazed at Alice and I knew if it were possible, Alice would be crying as well.

We stood there, the three of us, tangled together in a web of pure happiness. The two of them were laughing and hugging and speaking so quickly to one another that it was difficult to distinguish who was saying what.

"Quit fucking hogging her you two," Emmett boomed from very close behind us. Bella's body jerked to the right to look at him and a fresh wave of tears fell from her eyes.

Alice and I, begrudgingly, released her and she flew to Emmett's outstretched arms. Immediately, she was lifted from the floor and was eye level with my hulking brother.

"God damn, that was the most awesome thing I have ever seen." His smile was almost as glorious as hers as she leaned forward and kissed him.

"I have missed you so much Emmett. You have no idea." She laughed as he set her on her feet and turned them to face the rest of my family.

My mother and father were the next to claim her. Esme pulled her into a hug with such force that I momentarily worried she might hurt her. They rocked each other back and forth while my mother stroked Bella's hair lightly.

"Sweetheart, I…I don't know…how can I…?" Her voice broke as she tried to express her love to Bella.

"Shh, Esme. I know. It's ok, I know." Bella softly patted her back as she soothed my mother and her spiraling emotions.

"No, honey, you don't know." She pulled back to look Bella directly in the eye as she spoke. "I have my daughter back and I am never letting her go again. I should have never let her go in the first place. Sweetheart, you are a part of this family as surely as Edward. I love you Bella."

As the tears streamed down her face, Bella pulled my mother into her arms and whispered her love for her. I couldn't remember ever seeing a scene that touched me more.

Without a word, Carlisle pulled the two women into his arms. He gently kissed the top of Bella's head and whispered "Welcome home," to her as he laid his cheek on top of her head. She released one arm from around Esme and wrapped it fully around my father's waist. Her shoulders were shaking with the force of her tears.

"Thank you, Carlisle."

They stood there, parents and child, lovingly huddled together. Alice's arm was still around my waist as we watched the scene before us unfold.

"She was the missing piece of all of us Edward. Not just you." I nodded my agreement to my sister as I continued to watch them.

"Okay, okay. My turn with the human." Rose stepped forward and opened her arms to Bella. The look of utter amazement that crossed her face was laughable. Brave as always, Bella wiped her tear streaked face, stepped forward and embraced the one member of my family that had never shown anything but disdain for her. There was no awkwardness between the two women as they embraced.

Rosalie released her from the hug, but took both of her tiny hands in hers and spread her arms wide. She did a very obvious once over and looked Bella directly in the face. Then she smiled.

"Girl, you finally learned how to dress. I'm digging the shoes."

Everyone laughed at the exchange. Bella looked over her shoulder to find an extremely quiet Chip taking in the scene before him. His eyes were red with tears and his cheeks were slightly puffy. But the grin he gave her was nothing short of adoring. Bella reached out a hand, beckoning him to her side.

"You'll have to thank the genius here for the shoes. I am sure he will be happy to tell you that I still can't dress myself."

Everyone laughed and Rosalie wound her arm through Chip's and led him back toward the table we had claimed, telling him they had a lot to discuss.

Jasper stood back away from the reunions he was witnessing, his thoughts consumed with guilt. My ever observant angel noticed him and took a very slow step toward my newest brother.

"Jasper?" Her eyes were gentle and her voice was steady as she approached him.

He closed the distance between them and took both her hands in his own. His mind swirled with happiness and guilt as he struggled for the words he wanted to say to her.

"Bella…Darlin'…I…"

"Jasper, let me make this easier for you. There is nothing that needs to be said and there are no apologies necessary. What happened was as much my fault as yours and neither of us did anything intentionally." She smiled gloriously at him as she patiently waited for him to reply. When words failed him, she took a slight step back from him and extended her hand out, as if to offer him a handshake. "Let's start over. Jasper, I'm Bella. It's nice to finally meet you."

The laughter that echoed around the two of them was hesitant. Jasper's face betrayed his out right shock at her gesture. In the blink of an eye, he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her fiercely.

"Darlin', we missed you so much. Thank you. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but thank you."

"I told you, brother, there is nothing to forgive." He kissed her temple and released her just enough to keep his arm around her shoulder as he turned her back toward our family.

The faces that gazed back at them all shone with happiness and love. But I missed the contact with her. I was beginning to think I would never again be able to breathe without her touching me. I stepped forward, my arms outstretched. She immediately granted my request.

"I told you they were excited." I inclined my head to resume the kiss that my sister had interrupted. The feel of her lips against mine, so warm and soft, was utter bliss. Her hands wound into my hair and tugged me forward as she opened her mouth to me. I tightened my arms around her, pulling her flush against my overly hormonal body. I was lost in the sensations of her touch and the warmth of her love. It was only Emmett's thoughts that broke through the cocoon we had spun ourselves into.

"_Um…bro…you gonna fuck her right here? Not that I necessarily mind, but…_

Her mouth still on mine, I growled. She, of course, laughed at me as she pulled away.

"Come on, Edward, we all have a lot of catching up to do." The light in her eyes gave away the happiness that she felt. I had never seen her more beautiful than at that very moment as she pulled me toward our waiting family.

**Chapter Notes: You guys know what to do.**


	32. Chapter 32Brady Bunch Gone Goth

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that already (I think I could type those words in my freakin' sleep at this point.)**

**How about a little comic relief before we get back to our star-crossed lovers journey.**

**You guys know what to do. Make me purr. I'm feeling sad as we near the end of our journey. But more about that later. Enjoy.**

Chapter 32- Brady Bunch Gone Goth

BPOV

The night had been truly magical. The Cullens had all welcomed me back into their folds with open arms and hearts. I had never once in my life felt as loved or as safe as I did when they embraced me. I had missed them all so much more than I had let myself feel. I had missed Alice's exuberance and Emmett's humor. I had been devoid of a parents love for so long, that the protective embrace of Carlisle and Esme had felt like salve I didn't know I longed for. Rosalie's acceptance had opened a new door in my heart and Jasper's regret filled me with a love I didn't know I possessed until that moment.

But all of them combined couldn't come close to the overwhelming ecstasy I felt every time I looked into Edward's face. I don't think I had ever truly appreciated just how magnificent he really was as he looked into my eyes lovingly. Every touch, every caress, every laugh that tinkled from his lips warmed my aching soul. I was wrapped in a downy blanket of his making and I never wanted to resurface.

After the initial round of hugs and reaquaintences, we all gathered around the table they had claimed immediately upon arrival. Edward had blatantly kicked away the additional chair at the table as we sat, leaving his lap as the only acceptable seat for me. I was more than willing to comply with his not so subtle request.

They all fired question after question to me. They wanted to know the entire story of EverClear. When I had begun to play. How I had begun to write. How Chip had introduced me to his upstairs neighbor, JP, and how that relationship had evolved. They wanted every piece of information I could give them.

They also extolled their praise for the band over and over. Emmett in particular seemed giddy with his assessment of the show and my performance.

"Eddie, my boy, you are no longer the best musician in the family. You have been dethroned."

Edward cocked his eyebrow at his brother and Jasper laughed at them both.

"I'd have to agree with the moron for once," Jasper sneered. "My girl not only plays music that people actually want to hear outside of a dentist office, but she looks a whole hell of a lot better while she does it."

The table erupted in laughter. Even Carlisle held his stomach as he laughed. I turned my head to Edward, expecting to find an annoyed scowl. Instead, he was laughing along with everyone else and nodding his head in agreement.

"I damn near lost it when the lights came up. My little sweet shy Bella strutting around like she owned the fucking place. It was so killer," Emmett cackled as he recounted the first night's show. "And the strip tease, you knocked my boy here clean out of his chair." His huge hand clapped Edward's shoulder hard enough for the metal chair legs to buckle slightly. Edward simply shrugged his shoulders and nodded his agreement. He leaned into my neck and gently kissed the pulse point just below my ear.

"That's a performance I would like to see again very soon." The sensual tone of his voice immediately ignited the inferno that had been smoldering inside since we left the dressing room so few hours ago.

"Seriously, Bella, where in the hell did you learn to sing like that? Your voice is absolutely incredible!" Alice's words cut through the lust induced haze that had descended upon me at Edward's words. But her face was alight with her curiosity and I couldn't resist her.

"Forget the singing, the piano is what slayed me," Jasper interrupted before I could answer.

So I recounted for them, in as much detail as I could, the story from start to finish. I was truly embarrassed as I admitted breaking into their house for months on end. I felt the blood pool in my cheeks as I also admitted to stalking around Edward's vacant room. But his cool fingers gingerly stroked my face in reassurance.

"All that I have is yours, love. It always has been. I'll have the piano from Forks delivered here for you tomorrow if you'd like."

There were no words that could truly show my appreciation for his sentiment, so I kissed him softly in response. His hand gently touched the choker at my neck as we broke apart.

"Bella, that is truly beautiful. Where did you get it?" Esme was delighted in the small piece of jewelry that had been my comfort for so long. I passed it to her as I recounted the story of Chip presenting it to me. She turned it over in her hands examining it and traced the webbed pattern with her fingertips, much as I had done a thousand times before.

"I can think of another insignia that would look as beautiful around your neck as this one does." Esme's smile was startling in its mischief. I noticed that Edward was looking at her very sweetly as he nodded his head slightly.

"I had already thought of that." He looked into my eyes shyly and smiled the crooked smile that had fueled my every thought for five long years.

"Ahem…can we interrupt?" JP stood at the foot of the stairs. Dimitri, Felix and Jane were directly behind him. They stood together, relaxed and smiling, at my family. There was no fear or hesitancy from either group. The two most important groups of people in my life were surrounding me and trying to embrace each other.

My tears pricked in my eyes as I made my way to them.

"Of course, but its no interruption. You should know that." I grabbed JP's hand and drug him over to the table, the other guys right behind him.

The Cullens all stood and immediately began the warm greetings and introductions. There seemed to be an odd kinsman ship between Emmett and JP almost immediately. I guessed I should have seen that one coming.

I noticed Carlisle lean over and whisper to Chip "Do they know about us?"

Chip smiled deviously and looked to the band.

"Guys," he waited for everyone to look at him, "How do you know about the Cullens?"

In a move that could not have been more perfectly timed if it had been written in a comedy skit, all four members of EverClear went slightly glassy-eyed and muttered the same word.

"Tanya." It was ridiculous how dreamy each of their voices sounded. Everyone at the table snickered. Except Edward.

"Ugh…God help me…stop." He buried his head into my shoulder, hiding his face in my hair as he groaned out his pitiful plea for mercy on whatever it was he was seeing in the mind of my cohorts.

JP let out his best evil overlord laugh at his obvious distress and Emmett laughed so hard that the glass in his hand that he pretended to sip from shattered.

Everyone welcomed my band with open arms, but by far the most touching was the scene between Edward and JP.

"Dude, awesome fucking show," JP offered as he extended his hand out to Edward.

"Same goes to you. You are so talented, man. It's quite the site to behold."

"Take care of my bitch for me."

"I will. I promise asshole."

JP cocked his eyebrow in surprise and then tugged on Edward's hand and pulled him into one of the odd one armed guy hugs. The shoved each other slightly as they pulled away, both of them smiling radiantly.

I cried like a baby as I watched them.

We all, Cullens and EverClear, gathered around the small table. The laughter and acceptance was inspiring to watch. The rounds of teasing and story telling that followed the introductions were nothing short of riotous. Everyone had a story to tell other side of the "family" and most were either at Edward's or my expense. But I was so ecstatic; I didn't care enough to even blush.

"Here's the story, of a lovely lady…" Emmett sang very low as he looked around the now very crowded table.

"…who was bringing up three very lovely girls," JP immediately picked up the jingle.

The outright howls of laughter probably startled the club goers below. Every single person at the table snorted and doubled over and slapped the table. The tears that poured from my eyes as I laughed all but blinded me and Edward had to tighten his arms around my waist to keep me from falling out of his lap.

"Oh, fuck me…snort…the Brady Bunch has gone Goth," Jasper sputtered as he held his chest.

"Aw, I **so** get to be Greg if this is our Brady Bunch. You know he was really doing Marcia that whole time. One bathroom, same age…ain't no way he wasn't hittin' that." JP made his argument with a completely straight face, which only added to the hysterics.

"No way, dude, I'm Greg. I'm older than you. You can be Peter," Emmett argued very much like a spoiled toddler.

"Fuck Peter, he was a wanker. I'd rather be Sam the Meatman. He's the only dude on the whole show that was getting' some. You know Alice was puttin' out," JP countered and then wagged his eyebrows at our Alice.

She huffed in mock offense and then dissolved into a fit of bell like laugher.

The laughter ran on for an immeasurable amount of time. Every time we would collectively begin to control ourselves, someone would let out a small chuckle and the entire group would fall apart again.

I was wiping the newest round of tears from my eyes when I turned to look at Edward. From my seat in his lap, I caught him looking at JP and nodding very slightly.

"What?" I asked, still trying to get myself under control.

"I'll tell you later, promise." He smiled humorously at me and quickly pecked my lips.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," he smirked. "You look absolutely radiant. Happy?"

"Very. This…" I waved my arm in a circle around the table "went much better than I expected. How did I get so lucky?"

He kissed me again, slower and very gently. "We're the lucky ones, love. I think this is going to be an interesting transition." His shoulders shook with his humor.

"Why? What are you eavesdropping in on?"

"Well…the general consensus is that they like our family and our family likes them, we need to keep JP and Emmett very far away from each other and they want to talk to you about redoing part of the staging for the show."

"Which part?"

"I think I need to let them tell you. But it's not a bad thing; at least **I **don't think it is." He gave me a quick lopsided grin that instantly told me he was pleased with whatever they had in mind.

The music of the club, all but lost to the laughter and conversations going on around us, changed and caught both of our attention. It was the song we'd danced to last night. The atmosphere between us instantly changed from amusement to need.

Our eyes met and wordlessly, we both stood from our seat and walked just a few steps away from the larger group. When we faced each other, there were no questions or reservations. Edward immediately picked me up and placed me on the top of his feet. Once he was sure of my balance, we both drew our arms around one another. My hands wove into his hair and pulled him closer as his tightened his arms around my waist and back. Our hips pressed into each other in a barely discernable rhythm.

The song, that had sparked such fire last night, seemed to encase us in our own world tonight. We were separated by just enough space to lean our foreheads against each other. As the first verse came to a close and the sultry saxophone played, neither of us seemed content with the tiny amount of space between us.

I pressed my lips against his, lightly and lingering. His hand left the comfort of my back and tangled into my hair as he deepened the kiss. His icy tongue pushed into my mouth with the most erotic strokes. Over and over he caressed my mouth and I realized he wasn't just kissing me; he was making love to my mouth.

It didn't matter that we were standing in the middle of a club or that we were less than fifteen feet away from our families. What mattered was that we were together in that moment and our need for one another was growing by the second.

He broke the kiss with a heavy breath as he leaned his head down and pressed the side of his mouth against my ear.

"Come with me. Right now, baby." His every word was delivered with a wave of his icy breath that sent my entire body into overdrive.

I just nodded my head. I didn't care where he wanted me to go or what he wanted me to do. The need in his voice was enough. I could deny him nothing.

Without a backward glance, he took my hand and led me straight down the steps and toward the rear entrance to the club. We stepped into the alley to find the car that had delivered us to the club hours ago still waiting. He opened the rear door of the car and I slid in. He told the driver to take us back to the hotel.

The moment he was in the seat beside me, he took me in his arm and pulled me into his lap, facing him. The curiosity I felt dissipated in the wake of the blistering kiss that followed. Hands and mouths and tongues and hips all wove together in the fire of the heat that was consuming us. When I was on the verge of passing out from oxygen deprivation, he broke the kiss and pulled his head back. He gently placed both hands on the sides of my face, his thumb stroking my cheekbone.

"I have a question for you and I want you to take your time answering it." His eyes were shining with so many emotions that I could not identify any singular one. I nodded.

"Marry me baby. Right now. Tonight. I meant what I said. Never again do I want to see the sun rise without you in my arms. Will you marry me?" His gaze never wavered even as mine blurred with tears. The tightening in my throat and stomach were identical.

A thousand different things spun in my head at his words. Some pleasant, some not. I thought of all the nights I'd lay awake wishing for him and all the mornings I'd missed his cool embrace. I thought of all the reasons it didn't make sense to get married and of all the things that we needed to discuss.

But there was only a single word that my mind would allow my lips to utter.

"Yes."

**Chapter Notes: Do we all love Emmett and JP together? You have no idea how much fun they are to write side by side. Next two chapters (tomorrow, sorry, RL calls this afternoon) are back to the drama. And there may just be a small yellow fruit (to the tune of about 6000 words, longest chapter yet) that everyone has been yelling for in one of those chapters. Your reviews make the editing process much faster….yes, I know its bribery, but so the fuck what.**


	33. Chapter 33Il Mio Cantante

Chapter33-

EPOV

Yes. She said yes. Dear God in Heaven, she said yes.

"Right now, baby? One phone call and it will be waiting for us."

"Yes, Edward. I will marry you right now." Her smile was blinding as she uttered the words my soul had longed for.

There was nothing to do but kiss her. I pulled her body to mine and pressed my lips against hers. I was shaking from the enormity of what was about to happen. Her lips, soft and warm, were everything I had ever needed in life. More than air when I was human and more than blood now that I was not. All I needed or wanted in life was her, in every way possible.

I pulled the phone from my pocket, never releasing her. Everything was in place, waiting on the instruction to pull the trigger. My planning this afternoon had paid off. I'd had no idea when or even if I would ever get to enact the plans, but I was grateful they were in place.

"Make it happen, we'll be there in 15 minutes."

The look on her face told me that she was confused, but not concerned.

"It's in place, love. All of it. There is already a marriage license and a justice of the peace will be waiting for us at the hotel. There's no fanfare or production. Just you and me and the witness we need." I held my breath as I waited for her reaction. I slowly rubbed her bare back in what I hoped were strokes that would calm the explosion I was sure was coming.

"When did you do this?" Her voice was amazed, but still not angry.

"This afternoon. I wanted to be ready to take advantage of any sign of weakness on your part." I gave her my best crooked smile, hoping to deflect the reaction I was sure was coming, despite its delay.

She kissed me softly and then smiled the most breath taking smile I have ever seen.

"Pretty sure of yourself, aren't you Mr. Cullen?"

"No, just very determined…Mrs. Cullen."

The tears pricked in her eyes as I uttered the two most perfect words in the English language.

"You know they'll kill us for this, right?"

I knew exactly who she meant. Alice and Chip. And she was right. But I didn't care about anyone's reaction. She was mine and I was hers. And we were minutes away from making it eternally official. Nothing else mattered.

"We'll make it up to them later."

She smiled again, only this time it was that evil plotting smile I had seen at Delerious two days ago.

"I'll let you break the news to them, you're indestructible. When they go all Thelma & Louise on you, I'll hide in the closet."

I couldn't help but laugh. Pissed as they would be, neither would be able to suppress the joy at seeing us together and happy. She knew it as well as I did.

She stroked my cheek very softly and looked into my eyes. There was a peacefulness and serenity in her gaze that was simply beautiful.

"Bella, however you want this to work, we'll do it. You have made such an incredible life for yourself. I simply want to be a part of it. I will never stand in your way and I will never again try to make decisions for you."

"I know, baby. I know. I think we both learned the hard way. But I need to talk to you about something before we do this."

"Anything, although I think I already know what you're going to say, but go ahead."

"What do you think it is?"

"Immortality. You still want to become what I am."

She nodded her head. Her eyes were wide with what I guessed was anticipation of my reaction. I had always been so selfishly stubborn on the subject, I knew she was expecting a fight.

"I only ask two things. I ask that you listen to my argument against it and that you wait three months before you make your decision. I want you see the full impact of what it will be before you make that decision. I think it would be a good idea for you to see me hunt. I don't know if you can really appreciate the 'predator' part of vampirism without seeing that. But, if you still want immortality after three months, its yours. I will do it myself with no questions asked."

Her heart sped up to a dangerous pace and her skin flushed its immaculate shade of pink. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly parted.

"That sounds fair. I don't necessarily want it right this second. I couldn't do that to the band. It would be unfair to them to just leave with no warning. But eventually… Edward, really? You mean it?"

"Of course, my love. If that's what you decide you want, I will give it to you. Whenever you decide you want it. It was never my decision alone to make and I'm sorry I did that to you. I do have reservations and concerns and I hope you will listen to me when we discuss it further, but ultimately, its up to you. And I can't honestly say that one lifetime with you will be enough."

She attacked my mouth with such fervor that I was positive by tomorrow morning, her mouth would be bruised. Her tounge pushed demandingly into my mouth. The heat of her mouth was like nothing I'd ever experienced in my life. My hand automatically tightened around her waist and she ground her hips against my lap.

I couldn't surpress the moan that escaped my throat as the liquid heat of her arousal seeped into my own. It was overwhelming how completely my body responded to her every action. Her pulse, her breath, the blood as it ran faster in her veins as she became more and more excited.

My hand slid to her rear and pressed her against my own throbbing erection. She never broke the burning kiss as she ground herself against me harder. I could feel the small contractions of her muscles on my leg as she covered me completely with her decadent moisture. Her hands buried themselves in my hair, pulling me impossibly closer.

I trailed my tongue down her neck and across her collarbone. Her breath had turned to pants as she let her head fall back. Her hair spilled into my lap with the arc of her back. I could smell the waves of her arousal as they pulsed from her body with every movement.

"That's it baby. Let go." My voice had returned to the unfamiliar tenor of lust. I leaned my head back against the seat to take in the sight before me. Her skin was flushed and she had just a few beads of perspiration on her forehead. Her eyes were closed and lips were parted.

"Edward…I…I'm…"

"Let it go, love. Let me have it. Please." She was obviously to the very brink of orgasm. I slid my hand from her back and pushed it between our bodies slightly. She was riding my lap hard enough to create the friction she needed as badly as I did, but I wanted her to fall over the edge.

And I wanted to watch as she did it.

Never releasing my grasp on her perfect ass, I pushed my fingers into the now soaked lace of her panties. It took only a fraction of a second to find the bundle of nerves that would bring her release. I rolled her clit between my thumb and finger very slightly.

"Oh, God…Edward…" she gasped at the movement.

"Cum for me baby."

I sped up her rhythm by pushing her backside into my lap harder. I never stopped the movement of my fingers as they were drenched in her sweet essence. When I felt the muscles in her thighs quiver slightly, I pinched my fingers together.

It was enough.

Her entire body stiffened with the force of her explosion. Her hands locked down and pulled my hair viciously. My fingers were soaked in the rush of fluid that accompanied her orgasm, as was my lap.

I pulled her body to my chest, her chest rising and falling heavily. I very gently stroked the enflamed tissue of her slit as she rode out the final waves of her orgasm. As she struggled to regain her composure, I pulled my hand from its place between us and brought my hand to my mouth.

"Oh. My. Fucking. God." I had not meant to let the words out, but there was no containing my desire as I tasted her for the first time.

It was the sweetest most addictive flavor I had ever imagined. A thousand times better than even her blood had been. I sucked my fingers into my mouth and lapped every single drop from my hands.

More.

I wanted more.

Immediately.

"Edward, that was…I can't believe I…"

"Shh. That was the single best wedding present I could ever have gotten."

She sat stunned for a moment and then laughed loudly. Her body shuddered with her laughter and her face was radiant. It was only as I smiled at her pleasure that I realized we were back at the hotel.

"Are you sure about this Bella?"

"I've never been more sure about anything in my life."

I kissed her gently as the door opened and the valet offered his hand to her in assistance.

We made our way, hand in hand, through the lobby and to the elevators. After a quick stop in her room to, um, clean up a bit, we were ready. I picked up the receiver and dialed the front desk.

"Front desk."

"This is Mr. Cullen, is everything ready?"

"Yes sir, the gentleman is waiting for you downstairs."

"Thank you. Could you please open the doors to the lounge and tell him we'll be there in a matter of minutes."

"Yes sir. Anything else, Mr. Cullen."

"If you could find a couple of candles and light them, it would be wonderful."

"We'll see what we can do."

I replace the phone and turned to find my Bella leaning against the door looking very lost in thought. She didn't look unhappy or upset, just far away.

"What's the matter, Baby?"

"Nothing, I just wish Charlie could know about this."

I kissed her forehead and took both her hands.

"He does. Are you ready?"

She smiled brilliantly and reached for the door handle.

We were silent as we rode the short distance down the elevator, our eyes never leaving each other. There was no sign of nerves or indecision from her and I was sure she saw none from me. We walked quietly to the open doors of the lounge that had been the sight of that painful reunion two short nights ago. I pulled out the cell phone that had vibrated nonstop since we had left the club, and placed it on a table close to the door.

The justice of the peace stood just a few feet away from the piano, the top of which held several candles of different height that flickered slightly. He motioned us in with a small gesture of his hand. We crossed the room and stood in front of him, all of us beside the piano and its flickering light.

I looked into the eyes of my bride and melted at the tears that threatened to fall. Every couple of seconds, she cut her gaze to the piano beside us.

"Wait. Nothing about any of this is traditional, so why not one more thing." I smiled at the officiant quickly and moved to the piano bench. I pushed it lightly and we all watched as it skidded a few feet away. I placed my hands on Bella's waist and placed her on top of the piano, her legs dangling over the keys. The soft light of the candles gave her an ethereal appearance, not unlikethat of an angel as it descended from the hevans. I stepped in front of her and grasped both hands.

"This feels right," I whispered as I looked at her. She chuckled once and nodded her head in agreement. I faced the justice of the peace and shrugged. He chuckled lightly and stepped to the side of the piano and directly into our line of sight.

The vows we repeated were simple and traditional. There was no poetic language or bouquets of flowers or meaningful songs. There would never be a song better suited for this moment than the one my love had written and sung to me just hours ago. We had all we needed to give ourselves to each other. And the piano stood as a symbol of our love for each other. From the very beginning, we had expressed through music what we couldn't say in words. We had both reached out to the other through the keys of the regal instrument and it was more than fitting that our commitment to each other took place in the gleam of the ebony body.

When she looked into my eyes and repeated the words "I do" I felt, for the second time tonight, a stirring in myself that could only be my soul as it claimed its other half. I placed the ring that had been my constant companion for five years onto her slender finger. I had carried my mother's ring with me every moment of our separation. The rough cuts of the stones were a constant reminder of the missing part of myself. And now it had taken its rightful place, where it would stay forever. I stepped forward into her embrace as the man pronounced us husband and wife and placed my hands on either side of her face. She tilted her head slightly and blinked a single tear down her beautiful cheek.

"Il mio cantante, amore mio, mia moglie."

"What does it mean?"

"My singer. My love. My wife. You are my everything."

"And you are my forever."

Our kiss was passionate and delicate, full of the emotions that ran a complete circuit through our bodies. There was a quick hand shake and two signatures to complete the three minute event that had altered our lives for eternity.


	34. Chapter 34Claimed

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that already.**

**You have all waited very patiently for this chapter, so no big long speech. Just a brief warning…this chapter fully earns our rating. If that's not your thing, just skip it all together.**

Chapter 34-Claimed

EPOV

As we left the room, wrapped in each others arms, I picked the small black phone up.

"Nineteen missed calls. Think we should answer them?"

"We'd better unless we'd like them to burst into our room later tonight."

We laughed at the absurdity of the situation as we stepped into the elevator and I dialed the number that would connect, no doubt, to a very annoyed Alice. The call did not have a chance to complete a single ring before her voice shrieked through the line.

"Edward! What have you done?"

"Alice, this is not up for discussion. Listen closely to me, please. We would like to tell everyone ourselves, but not tonight. Tonight is ours. Please ask Chip and Marcus to take my room for the night. I'll leave the key outside the door."

"You two really did it, didn't you?" Her voice was strangled with happiness.

"Yes, we really did. Bella predicted that you and Chip would go, how was it, 'all Thelma and Louise' on us when you realized what we were doing. I see she was right."

"Smart girl. It's a good thing we can't physically reach you right now." Her words were menacing but her tone of voice gave away her happiness.

"Would you like to speak to my wife?" Her squeal was deafening

I held the phone to Bella, who took it from me with a breath- taking smile.

"Alice?"

"Oh, God, Bella I'm so happy for you guys. But I can't believe you did it this way."

"This was how is should have been, Alice. This was for us. We'll make it up to you and Chip later. I promise. We'll let you throw the most over the top wedding the Cullens have ever had and we won't fuss at all about it."

"I'll hold you to that. I love you."

"Me too, I love you baby girl," Chip's voice called out from somewhere in the background.

"I love you guys too. We'll talk tomorrow."

She closed the phone and pushed the "off" button as we stepped into the hallway. I bent down slightly and scooped her up into my arms. I carried her, bridal style of course, into the room. Without turning the lights of the room I knelt on the bed and placed her gently onto the mattress.

She rose to her knees and faced me. I could feel her body quivering, even without touching her. Her hands reached for me in the same instant that I moved to take her in my arms. The fit was flawless. Our bodies, separated by so much time, knew each other on contact. Her frame molded to my chest as our lips met.

The slow burn of her lips as she opened her mouth to me was unmistakable. I pushed my tongue inside her warmth and caressed gently. The emotions of the day seemed to make every sweep deeper and more meaningful. The taste of her breath as it washed over me was mind numbing. Her hands gripped the front of my shirt as she deepened the kiss further, drawing me fully into her mouth.

I slowly slid my hands up her arms, across her shoulders and down her exposed back. Every dip of her spine, every inch of her flesh was perfection under my fingertips. I slid my fingers beneath the satin of her dress and traced slow circles on the upper curve of her perfect ass. I could feel her shiver as my patterns grew larger in their circumference.

She broke the kiss and trailed a molten hot trail of kisses across my cheek, over my jaw and up my neck to my ear. She took the tip of my earlobe between her lips and sucked gently, eliciting a shiver of my own. As she spoke, her lips never left my earlobe.

"Edward," kiss, "make love to me," suck, "please," bite.

The reaction was instantaneous. Every fiber of my being, every nerve in my body screamed for me to give her anything she wanted. I pushed my hands up her back, more forcefully, and slipped the two tiny straps of her dress beneath my thumbs as I reached her shoulders. With the tiny ribbons hooked, I drug my fingers down her arms, bringing the dress with them.

Her hands made quick work of discarding my jacket and shirt, a job made much simpler since she had pulled the buttons off earlier in the evening. One quick tug out and one upward, and she slid the shirt off my shoulders. Her hands resumed their place on my chest momentarily, but then slid up and wrapped around my neck.

The feel of her bare chest pressed against my own inflamed my already out of control desire even higher. I kissed my way down her neck, across her collarbone and down her chest. The temptation of her breast that I'd had only had a hint of earlier in the night were before me; high and taunt and shaped specifically for my hands. I slowly let my tongue savor feel of her as I licked a slow path to her light pink nipple. The moment I took her into my mouth, it hardened into a tight peak that felt as if it would cut glass. I sucked gently at first, rolling the tip over my tongue. But her moans demanded more friction.

I tightened my hold on her as I turned our bodies into the center of the bed. I laid her back, never releasing her from my mouth. I stretched out beside her, my torso covering her. I pushed the fabric of the dress from her waist, over her hips and down her legs. She kicked the fabric the last few inches away from her and flipped the material into a heap at the foot of the bed.

I kissed my way across her chest and began the same pattern on her right breast. Sucking and licking and nipping. I palmed the mound not in my mouth, massaging the moisture from my earlier ministrations into her silken skin. With every pass, her body heat intensified, as did the smell of her arousal. She pulled my neck into her, seeking the touches she most desired. The ambrosia that was her sex called to me, stronger than her blood ever had and I remembered my all too brief taste well enough to beg for more.

I pulled myself more fully on top of her and raised my upper body to rest on my arms. The sight below me was enough to make me insane had I been denied access. She was exposed to me more fully than ever before; waiting for me to take her, consume her. Her hips gyrated in a nonsensical pattern as her body begged for the attention it craved. As slowly as possible, I traced a trail from her cleavage down her ribcage and across her tight stomach. When my nose brushed the lace of her panties, now all but ruined from her near constant flush of moisture, I sat back on my ankles.

"I don't have the words for how beautiful you are Bella."

"Yes, you do. They are the same words I have for you," she whispered.

I shook my head in defiance of her statement. She simply smiled at me as she sat up and reached for the button to my pants.

"They're very simple words, Edward." She popped the button and ran her fingers down to the zipper.

"Tell me, baby. What are they? What are the words?" My voice was unrecognizable in its need.

She kissed me very softly as she lowered my zipper. She leaned back and looked at me adoringly as she spoke. "Mine and forever."

The last hold on restraint I had slipped away with her profound statement. I crushed my mouth against hers. I needed to worship every part of this extraordinary creature before me. I needed to possess every part of her and I needed to give her every part of me. The force of my kiss pushed her backwards against the mattress once again, my body completely covering hers.

In the space of a single heart beat, my desire had overtaken me. The need was not predatory or dark. It was the need of a husband to claim his wife. Of a lover to claim his beloved. I kissed my way down her chest, over her breast and across her hard stomach. The scent of her core became maddening in its intensity as I journeyed farther down her body.

The soft lace of her panties scrapped my chin momentarily before I took the fabric between my teeth. With a single jerk of my head, the lace gave way and fell in tatters to the bedside. I slid my body between her legs. Her smooth legs lifted and settled over my shoulders, the high heeled shoes still strapped around her ankles, her core bare before me. I inhaled deeply. The aroma surrounded me, engulfed me and flamed my desire impossibly higher. I slowly swiped my tongue up the center of her slit, savoring the taste of her desire. It was absolutely fucking addictive. Over and over, I lapped at the folds, my tongue flattened. Every curve, every drop of moisture and every swell of nerves was mine to explore as I drank her in.

"Oh…my…God…Edward…please…" The cries of her pleasure fueled my need to please her.

I pushed one finger, slowly into the fire of her body. In and out, in and out, never breaking pace and never ceasing the movements of my tongue. I needed to feel her fall apart. Her legs tensed and I could feel the muscles tighten around my finger. I pushed a second finger in and sped up my pace.

"Ed…Edward…please…I can't…"

The pleas and moans that fell continuously from her mouth drove me harder to my goal. In and out, my hand coated to the knuckles with her sweet juices, I pumped my fingers into her. The moans of pure pleasure that escaped my lips reverberated through her core, rewarding me with a rush of her sweet essence. Her body jerked with the contractions of her muscles and the heels of the shoes scrapped down my back, causing me to become impossibly harder. I rocked my hips forward into the mattress as I wrapped my arm around her thighs tightly and locked her in place. I would miss not a drop of the nectar she had to give me.

"I…oh, God…Edward…" My name as it fell from her lips was the most erotic sound I'd ever heard. I wanted her to moan it, to scream it again and again.

I sped the motion of my fingers as I swirled my tongue over her clit. Her breathing came as pants and gasps as she struggled to maintain control.

"Let it go baby. Let me see you cum."

I curled my fingertips inside her and rubbed the spongy smooth spot deep inside once, twice and then a third time. Her body responded immediately. The muscles in her legs tightened as did the ones in her abdomen. Without removing my mouth from her, I looked up and into her face as her orgasm swept over her. Her skin flushed and there was a light beading of perspiration across her forehead. Her hands had fisted the sheets and she pulled against them in her thrashing. The walls of her core spasmed over and over, applying the most delicious pressure to my fingers.

My name left her lips, at first as a scream and then calming to a whisper. I slowly pulled my fingers from her and sucked them into my mouth, not wanting to miss a drop of the gift she had given me. Her hand reached blindly for me as she shuddered one last time.

I kissed the inside of her thigh as I raised myself to up and over her body. Every inch I passed as I made my way up her body, I placed a reverent kiss. Her hip bone, her belly button, her sternum. When I was close enough for her hand to reach me, she gripped my hair and pulled. She crashed her mouth to mine, no hesitation against the taste of her still on my tongue. She thrust her tongue into my mouth over and over as she pulled me against her. She rolled to the side and I let her push me onto my back. She climbed over and covered me with her sinfully naked body. Her hips rubbed against mine and she straightened her arms to push herself up. She looked down at me, her eyes absolutely on fire with her want and need.

"It's my turn."

She hitched one knee up very high on my stomach. I felt the satin of her shoe against my side and her fingers as they worked the clasp loose. The strap gave way and she dropped it off the side of the bed. But rather than slide her leg back down, she pulled her torso into a sitting position in the center of my chest, her knee resting against my shoulder. The heat on my skin from her was like molten lava. It sent ripples of pleasure through me. She slowly slid the other leg upwards and repeated the process of removing her shoe, leaving her sitting very high on my chest.

She leaned forward and kissed me with the slightest of touches. Her eyes were closed; her lashes casting shadows over her cheeks. When she opened her eyes, the vixen that had dropped her dress in the small room at the club was back. Her smile was wicked and lustful and completely captivating.

I was so hard; I felt that I would explode with the smallest of touches. I was absolutely aching to feel her, to be inside her. But my vixen had other plans.

She rotated her ankles, placed the tops of her delicate feet on my stomach and hooked her tiny toes into the waist of the leather pants. She pushed her body up and off of me, her hands bracing herself against my chest. She felt feather light as she pushed against me. Very slowly, she straightened her legs out behind her, taking my pants with her feet as they inched down my legs. I lifted my hips slightly to the ease the resistance and smiled at her.

Fucking hell, where did she learn that move? It was the single sexiest thing I had ever witnessed.

My smile turned to a gasp as she stretched her arms out and lowered her body, her chest completely covering my now exposed groin.

"Fuck. Oh God, Bella."

She held her upper body perfectly still as she shifted her weight to push the leather to my ankles.

"Kick your shoes off and finish for me." Her voice was deep and husky. And incredibly fucking sexy. I had no desire to do anything but follow her command.

When the last of our clothes lay in a heap at the foot of the bed, she sat back on her heels and stared at me. I could feel her eyes as they took in the sight of my nude body and my ridiculously erect member. She looked me in the eye. And licked her lips.

Fuck. Me.

This woman was going to be the death of me.

Never releasing my gaze, she very slowly lowered her body until her mouth hovered inches above my cock. She smiled once and lowered her lips to me. It was the lightest of kisses that she placed on the very tip of my head, but my body seized as if struck by lightening. Without so much as a stutter, she wrapped her lips around me.

It was heaven…it was hell…it was fire…it was pain…it was utter perfection.

She drew light circles around the very edge of my dick with her tongue, her lips gently moving. Her mouth opened wider and she slid down me further. Every breath she took drew me in deeper and deeper in to the white hot blaze of her throat.

I felt myself touch the very back of her throat. But she swallowed and the muscles relaxed. She pushed her head forward and drew me all the way into her mouth, her forehead resting against my skin.

"Oh…fuck…Bella…ungh…" The loss of my capacity of rational thought or speech had left me babbling at her mercy.

With absolute precision, she bobbed her head up and down my length. Her tongue swirled around my head with every pass, sending a trickle of pre cum down her throat. Up and down and up and down, every step bringing the pressure building in my lower back more prominently to the forefront.

"Bella, baby…don't stop… please God, don't stop."

She moaned around me at my words and I felt the tightening in my lower stomach intensify with the vibrations. Up and down she continued her glorious torture. My hands, desperate to grip the back of her head, were clenched tightly around the headboard behind me.

But when she opened her mouth wider and raked her teeth up my length, I knew I was done. I could not hold my release a moment longer.

"Bella, you've got to…you can't…" I could not concentrate on anything other than her mouth. But I had to pull away from her. I didn't have any idea what ingesting my venom would do to her body. Using my arms, I pulled myself up the head board. I slipped from her mouth only a fraction of a second before I exploded. Her hand gripped my cock tightly and she stroked me twice, her saliva acting as a lubricant. I gasped desperately for an unnecessary breath as my essence shot across my stomach and chest. In four powerfully intense spurts, my release rippled through my every muscle.

I lay there, shuddering for a few seconds, my eyes closed. I was absolutely floating on the kaleidoscope of sensations that ran through my body. She was so much more than anything my mind had ever conjured. And I had eternity with her.

I opened my eyes to find her sitting back on her heels once again, her hand still gently stroking me. As blissful as her hand felt, I needed more. Now.

"Come here baby."

I reached out and gripped under her arms as lightly as I could. I was still sitting in a mostly upright position of the headboard, so I pulled her into my lap. She was so beautiful. And she was still very fucking wet. The feel of her core against my skin made me hard again on contact.

She sat straddling me and placed a gentle kiss against my lips before leaning her forehead against mine.

"Leave your hands on the headboard." She reached out and covered my left hand with her own. She sat all the way up on her knees above me and reached down with her right hand to grip me. She adjusted her position slightly so that she hovered just inches above my cock.

She bucked her hips slightly as she rubbed the head of my dick against her dripping slit in long slow movements. She positioned my tip at the very edge of her center. She whispered her love for me, placed her right hand over mine and then slid herself down and over my head.

It was indescribable. The raging heat, the tight muscles of her walls, the incredible wetness. It was too much, and not enough at the same time. With a patience I certainly didn't possess, she slid herself further down upon me. Every inch brought a new level of Nirvana.

I felt myself pushing against her barrier. I knew this would be somewhat painful for her and I hated it. I hated that she could give me such pleasure and I would cause her pain.

"Baby, slow down. This is going to hurt a little. I'm sorry."

She placed her lips against mine and lowered herself further down, breaking the thin barrier of skin. I could smell the small trickle of blood as I broke through the thin ribbon of tissue. She held very still once she had fully seated herself on me. I could feel the muscles of her body clenching against the pain. I pulled our entwined hands from the headboard and wrapped my arms fully around her, pulling her against my chest. As she grasped my neck, I could feel her hands shaking slightly.

"I'm sorry baby, so sorry." I kissed the side of her neck in an effort to comfort her pain, all the while relishing the feel of finally being inside her.

After several more moments of stillness, she gently rocked her hips against me. The bolt of pure pleasure her movement caused was unnerving. She began a slow steady grinding rhythm against me.

Her fingers burrowed into my hair and she kissed me with a renewed fire. Her tongue demanded entrance into my mouth, and I willingly complied. Her movements became more pronounced and my own hips rose to meet hers.

"God…Bella…so tight…so fucking good," I whimpered.

"Edward…God…it feels so good."

We moved in perfect unison against each other. Her body molded to mine as she rose up on her knees slightly changing the motion. She pulled herself up my length until I was barely able to remain sheathed inside her and the pushed herself hard back down, her pelvic bone ramming into mine. Up and down and up and down she rode me, each pass creating more friction.

"Oh, fuck…Bella… I love you so much."

"I…oh, God…I love you too…so much."

I knew I wasn't going to last very long, so I gathered her into my arms once again and rolled us over. We never broke contact and our rhythm never faltered as I laid her back against the mattress. I thrust into her and growled at the new sensations our position afforded.

She pulled one knee up to her chest and wrapped her arm around it. I kissed her kneecap as I pushed deeper into her. God damn it, she was so tight, so wet, so utterly perfect. Her words faded into moans as I thrust harder against her. I could feel the pressure building in my back again. It was too much, too many new sensations to hold off long.

"Edward…don't stop…I'm…I'm almost…"

Fuck yes, she was almost there. I could feel the walls of her core tightening in rapid succession. Her heart beat was flying. I thrust into her harder still. Over and over and over. I needed to see her, to feel her when she came.

I slowed my rhythm down slightly but compensated by adding more force to each thrust. As I pushed into her, I felt her hips rise to meet me and she cried out. Harder and harder I pushed, my body begging for her release. I felt the tip of my cock brush that sensitive tissue directly behind her clit and knew that it was only a matter of time before she came again.

I didn't have to wait very long. Five more thrust, each one more forceful than the last and she gave me what I craved. Her muscles locked down and I could feel the force of her orgasm literally shudder through her body. An incredible wave of her essence surrounded me, buried to the hilt inside her, and triggered my own eruption.

The sound that escaped my lips was feral in its intensity. I pushed forward slightly with each stream that pumped into her body. I felt as if I was burning again with the sensations that assaulted my every limb and organ. But this was a burning I would take a thousand times over. It was pleasure beyond measure, only heightened by her complete abandon as she rode out the last waves of her explosion.

My arms held me stationary above her as I rested my forehead to hers. Tears leaked from her eyes but she smiled brilliantly at me. I kissed her very softly, once, twice, a third time.

"You, my love, are simply amazing."

"And you, my husband, are incredible." Her arms circled my neck and she pulled me to her chest. I happily complied and laid my head directly over her heart. It was still beating with an erratic pattern as she slowly scrapped her nails through my hair.

"I really love the sound of that. Say it again."

"My husband. My love," she purred to me. "How did you do that?" her voice thick with contentment.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you always told me it would be too hard, I was just…"

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear, baby. I have learned that the only thing that is too hard to ever do is to be parted from you. Everything else is not only plausible, but easily manageable. And in this case, raging fucking grizzlies couldn't keep me from it."

"That's good to know," she smirked. I raised my head to her at the tone of her voice and cocked an eyebrow. My vixen was back. She was tired and out of breath, but she was back.

"Why, Mrs. Cullen, if I didn't know better, I'd say there were dirty thoughts running through that silent mind of yours."

"You would be right Mr. Cullen. Good thing my mind is silent. I think you might be disgusted if you knew just how dirty some of my thoughts are."

I shook my head and laughed. She had no idea.

"Good. I hope you have turned into a sex fiend, because I can assure you that I have. It's embarrassing just how much time I have spent fantasizing about you over the last several years."

She laughed loudly. Her body shook she was laughing so hard. She wrapped her legs around my waist as I laid my head back down on her chest.

"Remind me to tell you about banana popsicles once I can no longer blush, then we'll talk about who is the bigger perv." Her body blushed as she spoke. I could not fucking wait to find out what that was about.

"Edward?"

"Yes, love."

"Thank you."

"No, thank you. I don't know if I can ever truly show you how much you have given me. I love you, more than my own life."

"I love you too, baby."

We laid in contented silence for the longest time. I was aware of the faint glimpse of light that peeked through the drawn curtains as I felt her fingers slowing their patterns across my scalp and then stopping altogether. She had to be exhausted. She had been awake for nearly twenty four hours and had been through such an emotional rollercoaster.

I raised my head slightly to look at her and found her completely still, eyes closed. There was the smallest smile on her lips. She was asleep. So peacefully. So deeply.

I slowly pulled myself from her embrace and pulled the covers up and over her. Her hair framed her beautiful face against the white pillowcase and made her look as if she were wearing a halo. Her left hand lay flat against the pillow and the small ray of sunlight that peeked its way through the drapes landed directly on the stones of her ring, casting a small rainbow across her beautiful face. I lay back down beside her, flush against her still form and stared at the magnificent creature beside me.

My wife.

My partner.

My mate.

My soul.

My love.

My Bella

**Chapter Notes: When this chapter crossed the 7500 word mark, I decided to split it, so you guys will get a bonus chapter tomorrow. Scratch my belly and make me purr.**


	35. Chapter 35The Morning After

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

**This chapter made a serious attempt at whipping my ass. It was originally part of Chapter 34 and in a different point of view. But your resident insomniac wouldn't stop until I got it out for you guys.**

**We have picked up several new readers in the last couple of days. Welcome one and all. Glad you're along for the ride.**

**I am seriously behind in responding to reviews and PMs. I promise, if I haven't gotten back to you, that I will. I figured you wanted the next chapter more than you wanted an email.**

**A little family fluff before we begin to wrap up the story. Enjoy.**

Chapter 35-The Morning After

BPOV

I heard the distinct sound of the door thudding shut and then a scraping sound that I could not place. I could feel the heat of the sun as it poured into the room and I could smell the unique aroma of eggs and bacon. But I did not want to be awake. I was going to kill Chip for rousing me from the best dream I'd ever had.

A dream about Edward.

I'd had the most blissful dream of my life and it was all about Edward. This dream hadn't been a nightmare. It hadn't even been my typical sex dream. This had been so much more. I could still smell him as I lay in bed reliving the impossible dream. I'd married him. I'd made love with him. It was everything I'd ever wished for and more. And I was going to hand Chip's balls to him on a platter for pulling me from such an incredible dream

I flopped my left hand across my eyes to wipe the sleep from the corners, my fiercest scowl preparing in my throat, when I promptly scraped the holy hell out of my cheek.

My eyes flew open and landed on the timeless ring that adorned my left ring finger. My heart literally skipped a beat as the night came back to me in a rush.

Oh, God.

It was real.

The sultry velvet voice spoke in the same second that I realized my fantasy was actually my reality.

"Good morning, Mrs. Cullen. Did you sleep well?"

I turned my head slightly to the right to see my perfect husband standing beside a tray from room service. He was dressed casually in a tight black tee shirt and jeans. His hair was slightly wet and his feet were bare as he leaned very casually against the wall closest to the bathroom.

I crawled down to the foot of the bed and in what was quite possibly the most ungraceful move in the written history of time, I flung myself at him. He chuckled lightly as his arms circled me and pulled me tight against his chest. I clung to him as if my very life depended on it.

As his lips kissed my temple, I fell completely to pieces. I didn't sniffle, I didn't cry. I sobbed like a two year old. I cried harder than I ever had in my entire life into his shoulder. I knew it was irrational and probably alarming him. I felt terrible for my apparent insanity, which only made me cry even more.

I felt him move a couple of step forward and sink onto the edge of the bed, me straddling his lap and still wailing. His cool hand rubbed up and down my back in long slow strokes, trying desperately to calm me.

"Shh…Bella. Baby, what's the matter?"

I could hear the anxiety in his voice, and a part of me longed to take away his anguish, but I could do nothing except cry and grip him as tightly as my hands would allow. I had no idea how long we sat there, him rubbing my back and whispering words of comfort in my ear before I finally pulled myself together enough to look at him.

"I'm sorry Edward. I don't know what's wrong with me." I sniffed my nose in a completely unattractive fashion as I looked into his worried eyes.

"Do you regret last night Bella?" His voice was pained and haunted as the words left his mouth. He looked down into his lap as he spoke.

"No, God, no. Edward, last night was the most incredible night of my entire life." I placed my hands on the sides of his face and tilted his head up until he would look at me. "That's why I lost it. I woke up and thought it was a dream. When I saw you standing there, I couldn't believe that it had all happened and I just lost it." I tried to smile, but I was pretty sure it came across as looking like a grimace.

He blinked once and then broke out into the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen. He laughed more loudly and freer than I'd ever heard him. He leaned forward and kissed me very sweetly once.

"Jesus, you scared me. I was imagining all sorts of horrible scenarios for why you were so upset."

I laid my head against his shoulder and tucked my head against into the crook of his neck. He slowly rocked us from side to side as he hummed my lullaby. I closed my eyes and let the enormity of our situation fade away and basked in the quiet moment with my husband. After he'd hummed my song two complete times, he pulled back and looked at me. His cool finger traced the enflamed skin of my cheek where I had scratched it.

"Ouch."

Very slowly he leaned forward. His icy tongue slipped from his mouth and traced the small scratch on my face. There was a burning tingling sensation for just a second and then the pain faded away all together. I touched my cheek lightly with my fingertip, only to find no trace of the small cut.

"Thanks. That was odd, but it feels better."

"You're welcome. It's the venom. It will seal wounds, but I can only afford to do that with very minor cuts. Too much of your blood would be a very bad thing." He kissed my cheek and then let his eyes wander down over my body. Rather than being embarrassed by his obvious ogling, I was thrilled at his obvious appreciation.

"As much as I adore you straddling my lap naked, I think you'd better put something on. We're going to have visitors in about two minutes and I would hate to have to kill someone for seeing you're glorious body." His voice had taken on that gravely deep tone that I remembered from last night. "And your stomach's growling."

I laughed. I had not given any thought whatsoever to the fact that I was completely naked and probably puffy eyed. Grudgingly, I pulled myself from his lap and made my way to the bathroom. When I looked in the mirror, I was shocked at my appearance.

My hair was tangled into a thousand snarls. My eyes were not just puffy; they were ringed with red and slightly blood-shot. I had the distinct look of someone that had blubbered like an idiot in the arms of their Adonis husband.

"How in the hell did you not laugh at me?" I called from the bathroom as I slipped a fluffy white bathrobe over my shoulders.

He pushed the door slightly open and peeked in.

"There is nothing remotely funny about you sobbing. I was terrified that you regretted what we did last night."

"Edward, I thought you knew me better than that."

"Well I thought I did, but your tears kill me. They always have." He grinned his impossibly adorable crooked smile and my heart melted.

"Um…can you give me a human minute?" I was sure I blushed as I asked the question.

"Oh, sorry," he stammered as he closed the door.

After a quick bathroom break and a much needed minute with a toothbrush, I made my way back into the bedroom. He had pulled the comforter back up the bed and had placed the tray in the very center.

"Eat, you're too thin. I can feel every rib in your body."

"I do eat. I eat like a horse most of the time. But I work up a sweat on stage," I huffed in mock indignance as I settled myself on the mattress.

His eyes turned a shade darker and he leaned over the still covered tray until his lips grazed my earlobe.

"I can think of other places you work up a sweat." I felt his tongue trace the tip of my earlobe and I felt his cool breath slide down my neck.

"If you want me to eat, you are going to have to stop that." I was already flushed and my heart beat was accelerating rapidly.

He pulled away and smiled bashfully. He returned to the bathroom and emerged with a hairbrush in his hand.

"Not that I don't think you look beautiful, but I'm guessing your stylist isn't going to be so complimentary on your hair." I reached out to take the brush from him, but he sat down on the bed behind me and began untangling my hair for me. His touch was so gentle and light, I barely felt him. With each section he managed to tame, he would place it over my shoulder and move on to a new one. When the task was completed and all of my hair was draped over my left shoulder, he pulled the collar of the bathrobe out and placed his lips against my shoulder. He trailed a slow line of kisses up my neck and whispered "I love you" when his lips touched my earlobe. It was the sweetest most erotic thing anyone had ever done for me. I closed my eyes and leaned back against his chest, letting my head lie against his shoulder.

"I love you too. So much.

"I didn't think I could love your hair any more than I already did, until I saw it was more than a foot longer. So incredibly sexy." His fingers ran through my hair in long strokes as he spoke.

My skin erupted in goose bumps as he took my earlobe in his lips once again, only this time he gently sucked. A small moan escaped my lips as he drug his fingertips up and under the hem of the bathrobe, along my thighs.

A loud knock at the door interrupted that train of thought. He muttered something under his breath as he pulled away from me that sounded very much like "go away".

"Alice," he said as he kissed me on the side of neck once more.

"Chip," I said at the exact same moment.

We laughed together as he rose from the bed and went to open the door.

The tray in front of me smelled divine and I greedily uncovered it and began to tuck into the food. When he opened the door, Alice and Chip both stood in the doorway, identical smirks on their faces. They took three steps into the room and both pulled cell phones from their pockets and dialed.

"I hope you're up for a lot of company," he snarled as he glared at the two of them.

The aroma wafting from the tray caught my attention as they both spoke into the phones. I uncovered the tray and leaned my face over the plate, inhaling dramatically. I was so intent on the food in front of me, I paid no attention to the conversations that the two of them were having. It wasn't until Alice threw herself on the bed that I even acknowledged they were in the room.

"You little shit. I would have expected this from my brother, but not from you. I can't believe you didn't invite me to your wedding." She sat in front of me on her knees, her arms folded across her chest like a petulant child. Her face was perfectly devoid of anything other than hurt.

"Alice, I'm sorry. It wasn't personal. It just really needed…"

She grinned brilliantly, threw her arms around me and hugged me hard against her chest. When she released me, she was smiling from ear to ear. She kissed me softly on the forehead and then released me into Chip's open arms.

I hugged him as ferociously as possible. I could feel the tears leaking into my hair and neck. I pulled away from him and kissed him.

"I love you, Queenie. Don't be mad."

"I'm not. I love you too. I'm happy for the both of you. You deserve it. And now Alice and I get to plan a wedding with no budget and as wide open a time frame as we need to make our vision a reality. We have all the time in the world to make it work." He lifted his chin on the last line and gave me his best Tim Gunn impression.

Everyone in the room laughed. Edward settled himself behind me, picked me up and placed me into his lap. I reached out for the tray and pulled it in front of me.

"Well, someone worked up an appetite last night." Chip's voice was a little too knowing and Alice's laugh tinkled through the room. I blushed.

"Who did you call," Edward asked, seemingly unphased by the fact that his sister had seen our wedding night and apparently shared the details with Chip.

"Everyone," they both answered.

We didn't have to wait long for the rest of the Cullens to make their way to our room. Inside of five minutes, they were all scattered around the room. I should have been embarrassed by the fact that I was sitting in Edward's lap on the bed dressed in only a bathrobe, but I was so happy I couldn't be bothered with being uncomfortable. They were now officially my family and I was giddy with the thought of having them all as a part of my life once again.

They filed into the room, one right behind the other; all of them smiling at our position on the bed. Emmett hopped up on the dresser directly across from the bed with Rosalie leaning against him as she settled between his open legs. Carlisle and Esme each took a chair by the window. Jasper sat at the foot of the bed where Alice had stretched out on her side. Chip sat directly beside Edward with his back leaning against the headboard.

Edward cleared his throat once as he began to speak.

"Well, we have some news for you guys."

Esme's eyes lit up with excitement and Emmett and Rose looked at each other with smirks plastered on both their faces. Edward kissed the back of my head before he continued.

"So, last night after we left the club…we, uh…got married." He was obviously as nervous about their reaction as I was. I held my breath as his words settled on the silent air of the room.

There was a brief moment where no one said anything and then the squeals began. Esme's was the loudest and she hurried across the small space and pulled us both into a hug. Emmett wolf whistled, while Rose laughed. Jasper reached out and patted my leg slightly; smiling the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen on his face. Carlisle looked stunned longer than anyone else before he too crossed the room to hug us.

"I can't believe you two did it. I am so fucking impressed," Emmett cackled. He turned to Rose, his eyebrows furrowed and said, "See, it doesn't have to be a big deal." His comment earned him a slap across the back of the head.

"Honey, oh I'm so thrilled. We have all waited a long time to hear those words." Esme's face was filled with emotion as she kissed my forehead lightly and then leaned behind me and kissed Edward. She stared at him meaningfully and I knew she was telling him something privately. His arms tightened around my waist in response to whatever she'd said.

"Have you told the guys yet?" Chip asked the question he already knew the answer to, but looked at me harshly.

"No, but we're going to. This really doesn't mean anything as far as the band is concerned."

"Except you'll have an extra body traveling with you," Edward finished for me. I looked over my shoulder, my mouth slightly agape. I hadn't really given any thought of how exactly that would work. But the fact that he was willing to drop everything in his life with literally less than a day's notice to follow me out on the road meant more to me than anything. Except of course for his love.

Chip laughed maniacally. His cheeks turned red with his lack of oxygen and he gripped his sides. Edward's shoulders shook with the words he was picking out of Chip's head and Jasper was giggling like a little girl at the foot of the bed, obviously absorbing Chip's amusement.

"What am I missing?"

Chip removed his glasses and wiped his eyes before he answered me.

"I was just thinking about how long it will take Edward to deck JP once they are in an enclosed space together. The whole mind reading thing is going to be torturous around the mutant. Just think of the things that actually come out of his mouth, and then imagine the hideous things he has the decency to filter."

Everyone in the room laughed at that. But Jasper was all but overcome with his high pitched giggling.

"Dude, you sound like a fucking eunuch. What is wrong with you?" Emmett's voice was part amused part disgusted as we all watched Jasper roll off the bed, still laughing.

He lay flat on his back and chuckled for a good two minutes before he could answer. By the time he had composed himself, Edward was almost in as bad a shape. His shoulders shook, and by extension his lap. So every time I tried to lift the fork to my mouth, he shook the food off.

"What the fuck are we missing that is so damn funny?" Emmett was annoyed at this point. He hated being left out of any joke, but particularly one that had his more serious brothers acting like fools.

"I…I was just…thinking…about Edward out on tour with a heavy metal band. Picture it. JP and Dimitri and this one here," he pointed to me, "with Mr. Up Tight twenty-four seven. He'll light his own ass within a week. A few shows where he's not having a cow at Bella's reappearance and he's likely to go insane listening to the thoughts of the crowd. He'll pull his fucking hair out seeing the thoughts of the band and the road crew. I have waited more than 50 years to see him loose his shit, and the time has finally arrived. I may have to pay JP to torture him."

Emmett dissolved into the same fit of laughter that had once again overtaken Jasper.

"Emmett, fuck you. And Jasper, fuck you harder." His words were harsh, but Edward smiled at his brothers as they rolled on the floor, partially wrestling each other as they chuckled.

"Boys, really. You're language is atrocious. Please try to restrain yourselves," Esme chastised with an amused smirk.

"Yes, Mom," chorused from all three of them, causing everyone in the room to laugh.

Another bang on the door drew everyone's attention away from the spectacle on the floor.

"Bitch, open the door."

"I really wish he would find another nickname for you," Edward sighed into my neck.

Rosalie walked to the door and opened it to a rather shocked JP. He did a very obvious once over before grinning at her. She rolled her eyes as she stepped back to the dresser.

"It sounds like I'm missing all the fun. I heard you guys all the way down the hall. Oh, excellent, you've got food." He made a bee line for the bed and was reaching across to my plate when Edward grabbed his hand. He smacked the top of his hand three times in rapid succession.

"Ow, fuck. That hurt dude."

"Put your hands in that food and loose a finger. If you're hungry we'll order more."

JP looked at me and cocked his eyebrow.

"Overprotective much?"

I stuck my tongue out at him and took a huge bite of eggs, moaning loudly as I looked at him.

"You bitch," he whined.

"JP, language." He turned his head to face Esme glaring at him.

He swallowed once and then looked down into his lap.

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry ma'am."

This time it was Chip and me that fell over laughing. The site of my six foot three dread-locked, tattooed and pierced bass player bowing his head to tiny Esme was too much. Apparently our humor triggered Jasper into another fit of laughter. He was trying valiantly to hold it in, but every couple of seconds, his chest would heave and his shoulders would shake.

She took pity on him and patted him on the back before taking her seat again.

"I think you're going to fit in perfectly with our family JP. I was just telling the boys to watch their language when you knocked on the door." Esme was perfectly serious as she addressed him. It was so sweet and genuine, that JP kissed her briefly on the cheek before grabbing the phone and ordering enough food for ten people.

He looked at me, still sitting in Edward's lap and did a once over. His smirk told me everything I needed to know. I pointed my finger at him and shook my head no.

Of course, he ignored me.

"Well, well, well. I see that little virginity problem is all gone away. Welcome to the adult table kiddies."

Chip threw a pillow at him as I blushed profusely. Emmett and Jasper howled.

"You ass, can you not talk about that with my In-Laws a foot away?"

"In laws? What the fu…I mean what the crap?" He looked over at Esme for approval of his censoring. She smiled sweetly and he beamed at her.

I sighed. I had actually meant to tell the whole band at the same time, but it didn't seem to be in the cards. Once again, I had opened my mouth and inserted my foot.

"Edward and I were married last night." I couldn't help the smile that spread at that thought.

JP stared at Edward hard. His eyes were wide and he his mouth was hanging open in a comical "O" shape.

"Shit, I want to grow up to be Eddie. Forty eight hours ago, my girl here passes out at the sight of you. Twenty four hours ago, she slaps the hell out of you. And now you're hitched? That is some serious mojo you got going on."

Edward, much to everyone's surprise, took a mock bow at JP's smart assed comment.

"You so didn't need to say that out loud. His ego is inflated enough right now," Jasper teased.

"Well, that makes my request a whole hell of a lot easier."

"What request? What are you talking about?" I looked at JP confused. He was eyeing the croissant on the tray in front of me like it was a piece of steak. He cut his eyes to me and then back down to the pastry. I tossed it to him and he crammed the whole thing in his mouth. Edward just sighed.

"Well, we talked last night after the show. We want to add him," he nodded at Edward, "into the show. At least for the second set. That was too intense not to roll with. The crowd ate that shit up." He looked at Edward again, very serious this time. "So what do you think? You in?"

Edward looked at me, his brows furrowed in concern.

"Its up to you baby. I don't want to do anything that you're not happy with. This is your band, your songs and your show. If you don't…"

"Stop. I love the idea of you on stage with me every night. Would you really do it?" I couldn't contain myself. I was thrilled beyond belief that he would be at the shows. But to have him with me onstage would be nothing short of a miracle.

He kissed me, much more passionately than I had expected. His hand cupped my cheek, drawing me closer to him as his lips parted. I slid the tip of my tongue into his mouth and he moaned.

"Oh, God, will you two please stop. You are fucking killing me," Jasper groaned as he eyed Alice. She laughed and shook her head at him.

"Well I guess that's a big giant 'yes' on your part then," JP snickered. Edward nodded his head and smiled beautifully at me. "Oh, I got an email from Bree at the label. They got a clip of the show last night and want to talk. They'll meet us in Daytona."

"Is that good or bad?" I was not excited about the prospect of having to defend myself against the executives at the label. I had never been very good at that side of this business. I generally deferred to JP for anything related to our contract. Despite outward appearances, he was sharp as a tack in all of our business dealings.

"I think it'll be good. Your little bump and grind on the piano is all over the internet. If they spin it right, it's free publicity. If he's on stage every night, it'll be that much easier to handle." He shrugged his shoulders unconcernedly, which made me relax into Edward's arms more fully.

A third knock at the door announced the arrival of the room service tray. As the cart was wheeled in, the Cullens' noses all wrinkled slightly. JP immediately began uncovering the trays. But as he reached to pull the tray into the floor, Edward interrupted him.

He never broke eye contact with me, his hand still on my cheek with his thumb stroking very lightly across my cheekbone.

"Not to be rude, but would you mind taking that back down the hall with you. I'm sure you **all** can understand that I would like some time with my wife. Alone."

I think there were a few snickers and some grumbling, but I was only distantly aware of it. I was completely caught up in his eyes as they grew progressively darker. I could feel from my position in his lap that he was getting hard, which in turn sparked my own desire.

As the door closed behind the last visitor, I heard Emmett call out behind him in a very sing-song voice "Someone's gonna get laid."

Damn right someone was going to get laid.

**Chapter Notes: Can you guys guess what the next chapter is about based off the last sentence? Let me hear it. I will give you a hint. Chapter 34 was sweet and romantic and full of emotions for our couple. Chapter 36…not so much. They really only have one emotion on their minds next chapter…lust.**


	36. Chapter 36Lust Bites

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys already knew that.**

****On knees, begging forgiveness** I really didn't mean to tease you guys yesterday. I had fully intended to post two chapters, but RL exploded on me. **

**Welcome to all the newbies, you guys flooded my In Box yesterday. It was freakin' fabulous to see how many new people have joined us.**

**Special shout out to Gorged to Blotation. My faithful sub, your Mistress wants everyone to know that your comments and reviews inspired this particular chapter. **

**Warning: We fully earn our rating with this one. Remember that this is a Mature rated story about vampires as you read. If lemons aren't your thing, skip the chapter. **

Chapter 36-Lust Bites

EPOV

I knew I was being a dick, but I really didn't care. My family had an unlimited amount of time to be with us. And JP, well, he'd had her to himself long enough. She was **my** wife. She was **my** lover. And I wanted her. Right fucking then.

She had been sitting in my lap the better part of the morning. I'd been terrified when she started crying. I had no idea what had set her off, but I did my best to comfort her. I wanted to be there for her, to soothe her, but a very large part of my brain, and to be honest my lower anatomy, was painfully aware that she was straddling me butt naked. It was everything I could do to not take her right then. Tears stained cheeks and all.

Once she'd calmed down and the influx of visitors began, I'd pulled her into my lap once more. The gesture had not been sexual in its intent, I'd simply wanted her as close to me as possible. But I could feel her ass pressed against my thighs. Every time she moved to take a bite of her breakfast and every time she laughed, she rubbed against my cock. It was her kiss after discussing me joining her on stage that pushed me over the edge and into the realm of complete nymphomania. When she slid her tongue into my mouth, I damn near pinned her to the bed with my family in the room.

The door had not even completely shut behind them before I had spun her around on my lap to face me. She wrapped her legs around my waist, her heels pressing into my backside, and kissed me. Hard. The same fire that flamed between us every time we touched ignited instantly, threatening to engulf us, and I welcomed it. Her lips, her tongue, her taste…I wanted all of it.

I pressed her body closer to mine, gripping her butt to pull her nearer. She moaned into my mouth as the robe shifted and her bare core came into contact with the zipper of my jeans.

"Edward…," she breathed against my cheek as she kissed her way toward my ear. God, I would never tire of hearing my name fall from her lips that way. The only way it sounded even possibly better had been when she'd screamed it last night. And that was what I wanted to hear right now.

She slowly started to push her hips against me, never taking her mouth away from my skin. Her right hand gripped the back of my head tightly and she pulled me deep into her mouth. I pushed my tongue harshly into her mouth, the incredible taste of her flooding my brain. Her heart was thrumming like a humming bird's and I could feel her body temperature rising.

I reached for the knot of the robe and pulled it impatiently. I needed her bare skin under my hands. The small tie fell to the sides and the cloth opened to me. She was so fucking gorgeous. Perfectly formed for my touch. My hands gripped her back and then slid down to cup her ass again. I wanted her to move against me. I needed her to understand that I could not wait any longer to feel her beneath me.

"Such a bad girl, teasing your poor husband like that. What shall I do with you?"

She ground her hips against me more forcefully, the sweet scent of her aroma filling the tepid air in the room quickly. I could feel her dripping onto the denim of my jeans.

"Edward, if I asked you to do something for me, would you?" Her voice was dangerously close to the lower register that she sang in as she cooed in my ear. Fuck me, my vixen had arrived.

"Anything."

"I feel so dirty and sticky from last night," she arched her back, pushing her exposed chest against me, "I really need a shower. But I'll be so lonely in there by myself."

I gulped. Oh, fuck yes; my vixen had just hit the nail on the head.

Shower.

Now.

I pulled us off the bed as quickly as possible without hurting her. When I looked into her eyes, they damn near made me cum. Heavy lidded and excited and absolutely shining with lust. I sat her on the counter in the bathroom and quickly turned on the water. The bathroom in her room was very similar to the one in the room above us that I'd desecrated more times than I cared to admit.

The steam of the hot water quickly filled the small room and swirled her scent so thickly into the air that I thought I might go mad. I stepped in between her legs and wrapped my arms around her waist. But she pushed me back slightly.

"I just want to try one thing," she whispered. She slid from the countertop and reached for my shirt. In a single tug, she pulled it up and over my head. She dropped the shirt in the floor and smiled a truly sexy evil smile.

"Stay very still," she continued as she reached for the button of my jeans. Without ever looking away from my eyes, she unzipped the zipper. She slid her hands around my waist and down to my ass. Her hands gripped firmly as she used her forearms to slide the material down slightly.

"Don't move."

Bending slightly at the waist, she pushed the offensive material the rest of the way down my legs until they pooled at my ankles, dragging her tongue down my stomach as she went. I made quick work of kicking them the rest of the way off. She placed a small kiss on the very center of my head and flicked her tongue down my slit, lapping the small trickle of pre cum that had already seeped out. I drew in a sharp breath and a shiver ran from my shoulders to my feet. I was painfully hard and she was teasing me relentlessly.

I fucking loved it.

She straightened her back and took a few small steps backwards toward the glass door of the shower. When her back touched the now foggy glass, she shrugged her shoulders very slightly and the robe fell to the floor. She stepped into the shower and backed herself up against the tiles.

I could not take my eyes off her. I had never wanted anything as badly as I wanted her at that second. But she wasn't finished with me just yet.

"Edward, last night was the most amazing night of my life." Her hands slid up her stomach and cupped her breasts tightly as she continued. "My husband made love to me. It was the most beautiful experience of my life," she rolled her nipples between her fingers and pinched, "but I want something a little different this morning."

I stalked toward her, gripping my cock in my hands and pumping slightly. Her eyes widened as she noticed my motion. She licked her lips and then stared me directly in the eye as she raised a single finger and beckoned me forward.

My arms wrapped around her the moment I stepped into the spray of the hot water. She kissed me passionately, her tongue begging entrance to my mouth. My hands slid down her now slick back and I pulled her flush to my chest. I thrust myself against her and she moaned loudly, her head falling back directly into the shower of water from above.

I traced a line of water as it beaded on her collarbone and then ran down her chest and over her breast. Without removing my hands, I bent forward to capture the drop from the very tip of her nipple as it threatened to fall. I alternated between sucking and licking the freesia tinted moisture from her body until I could feel her legs tremble.

I felt her hand leave my neck, and I was momentarily disappointed in the loss of contact. Until I realized where that hand was moving. I felt her fingers slide down between our bodies and come to rest between her own legs. I felt her movements against my shaft. I would have know the second she slid her fingers between the slick folds of her sex from the addictive aroma that filled the air, even if I hadn't been able to feel her fingers moving.

God, she was killing me.

She let out a small whimper as her fingers moved faster over her clit, her knuckles rubbing against the base of my cock, now pressed between our bodies. With her left hand, she slowly trailed her fingers from the nape of my neck and across my chest. She gave a slight shove and I pulled back to look at her.

"Lean against the wall."

I did.

With a torturously slow movement, she brought the fingers from between her legs and to my mouth. I immediately sucked her fingers in, swirling my tongue over every drop of her sweet juice. I moaned at the taste as it invaded my senses.

And then she curled the tip of her fingers over my bottom teeth and pressed down. I tasted the tiny drops of blood as the skin of her fingers opened against the sharpness of my teeth. She pulled her fingers from my mouth, never looking at the blood that gathered in small drops.

"Last night my husband made love to me, but this morning, I want my vampire to fuck me," she purred as she wiped the small drops of blood across her bottom lip and down her chin.

God fucking damn…she did not just…ffuuuuucccckkkk!

BPOV

I knew it was a risky thing to do. But my mind had conjured images of Edward doing so many different, wickedly delicious things to my body that I simply couldn't resist. Besides, I rationalized to myself, had he not told me before that blood and sex went hand in hand for vampires.

He stared at me for a split second before his eyes went completely black. The features of his beautiful face transformed slightly and I looked back into the face of my predator. He was still inhumanly beautiful, but he took on a much more dangerous appearance.

Without a sound or word, he pushed me hard against the cold tiles of the shower, my hands pinned above my head. He covered my mouth with his and sucked my bottom lip forcefully before moving down my chin. The groan that he made was utterly sexy and utterly terrifying at the same time. It had worked. My vampire had arrived.

He gathered my hands into one of his own, his grip tight as an iron manacle. With his free hand, he reached up and squeezed my fingertips, causing a few more drops of blood to fall onto my shoulders. His mouth immediately sought out the drops and he sucked against my skin with enough force to brand me.

I had never been wetter or more turned on in my entire life.

Faster than should be possible, he spun me around and pressed my chest hard against the tile. His right arm snaked its way around my waist, his left still holding my hands above my head. I was lost in the power of his presence as his cock pressed against my ass. I could feel the head slide against my lower back as he thrust himself against me.

"Are you sure you still want your vampire," he growled in my ear as he thrust harder. The feral tone of his voice was matched only by my own lust and need for him.

"Yes… Edward, please…" I need him inside of me. Now.

His mouth went to my neck, and I couldn't tell if he was kissing or licking or sucking his movements were so quick. I arched my back against him, silently begging him to enter me.

His right arm, strong and frightening, ran roughly up the side of my body, over my rib cage and under my arm. He harshly pulled my right shoulder up with a jerk and curled his hand around the back of my neck, effectively locking me into place. I could not have moved an inch, even if my body had wanted to. His left hand released my hands from above my head and quickly trailed down to my left thigh. His fingers easily hitched around my knee. The force of his pull was staggering as he wrenched my leg up and pressed it against the wall. My hands were now free from his grip, but with nowhere to place them, I grabbed hold of the metal towel rod over my head.

There were no seductive caresses or gentle kisses as he pushed himself into me fully. The moment I felt him enter me, filling me as only he could, my orgasm swept over my entire body. I screamed his name as he pulled out almost completely. Unlike last night, he didn't pause to allow me time to adjust to his massive size. He thrust into me roughly, over and over and over. Deep and throbbing and all consuming.

His pace never slackened or quickened. Every stroke pushed deeper and deeper into me and I lost the ability to speak coherently I was so consumed by the pleasure of him. I could hear his growls as they grew in his chest. Each one louder and more primal than the last. I could feel my own juices running down my leg as he slammed into me again and again.

"Please…oh, God…please," I begged him. Exactly what I was begging him for I wasn't sure. More? Harder? Deeper? To cum? The answer was all of the above.

His mouth brushed my ear as he leaned forward, never ceasing his powerful thrusts.

"Do you want to cum again, my Bella?" His voice was almost foreign it was so low.

"Yes, Edward please."

"No." He pulled out and spun me around to face him in the same movement. He lifted me up, his hands on my ass, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he slid into me again. "Grab the bar above you," he commanded.

He picked up right where he'd left off when he'd pulled away from me. Only now I could stare at him as he pumped into me again and again. His eyes were still black as onyx and his face was tight with the intensity of his movements.

"You,"…thrust… "are,"…thrust… "mine,"… thrust.

I nodded my head at his words and whimpered loudly.

"Say it. Who do you belong to Bella?"

"You. Only you. Always you."

"Mine. Only mine. Always mine."

His hips slowed just a little and I could feel the muscles in his stomach tighten. He bent his knees slightly, changing the angle of his penetration and I cried out.

"Edward, please…"

His face broke out in a wicked smile as he watched me plead with him for release. I watched him as his jaw tightened and I felt his fingers dig deeper into my skin. I would have fingerprints on my butt later, but I was perfectly fine with being marked as his.

I released my right hand from the metal rail above me and brought it to my mouth. I placed the small stretch of skin between my thumb and forefinger between my teeth and bit down hard. The pain shot straight up my arm and I could taste the blood in my mouth as I broke through the skin. His eyes widened, whether at my actions or to the smell I didn't know, and darkened even further.

I threw my arm around him with my elbow directly behind his neck. He pulled me flush against his chest and held me so tightly it bordered on pain. His hips never once ceased their movements or broke their rhythm.

"You're going to cum for me now and when you do, I want the whole fucking world to know your mine. I want you to scream it," he hissed.

I brought my hand, now covered in blood from my own bite, to his mouth and smeared the crimson over his lips. He inhaled deeply one time and then locked his lips around the gash. His teeth never touched me, but the force of his suction as he pulled from my hand was incredible. With every mouthful, he lifted my hips away from him and then slammed them back against him.

I came so hard that I nearly lost consciousness. Wave after wave crashed over me. I screamed his name over and over as each new shudder ran through my body.

I felt him pull his mouth away from my hand at the same moment that he tensed. I felt him swell within me and then with a final thrust, he released deep inside of me. The roar that he let out was nothing short of terrifying.

After several seconds, he staggered back against the opposite wall and leaned his head back, the water running over his face and across his chest. A thin trickle of pink ran down his body as the spray took the blood on his lips and washed it away. His breathing was as labored as mine. He slid down the wall slowly with me still impaled on him. I loosened my grip on his neck and leaned back on my hands, trying to catch my breath. His hands still gripped my waist and my legs were shaking from the force of my orgasm.

When he opened his eyes, they had returned to their beautiful gold. I was briefly concerned that they might be tinged with red, but as I stared at him, there was nothing but the ochre that I'd dreamed about for so long. His face was still tight but his eyes were wide with his thoughts.

"Jesus, Bella, do you actually have a death wish. I'm well aware that you have little to no sense of self preservation, but God damn." His breathing still had not returned to normal.

"Are you mad?"

"Not mad…just…stunned. What in the hell possessed you to do that?" He reached his hand up behind him and turned the knob of the shower until the water ceased to rain down on us.

"Did you not like it?" I was starting to worry. But he leaned his body forward and gently kissed me.

"Bella, fuck, of course I loved it, but baby, do you have any idea how easily I could have lost control? That was extraordinarily dangerous, even for you."

"I knew you wouldn't loose control though. And I knew that my blood would be the one thing in the world that could make it more pleasurable for you. I wanted you to feel as much as you made me feel last night."

He hugged me to his chest and kissed my shoulder.

"You are amazing Bella Cullen. I love you so much."

"I love you too, baby."

"Come on; let's clean your hand up. That's got to hurt."

"Yeah, a little. Can't you do that thing with your tongue again?"

He smiled wickedly and cocked his eyebrow at me.

"So soon, don't you need a few minutes to recuperate?"

I laughed at his innuendo. We rose from the tub and stepped out into the now completely steam filled room. I opened the door to let in some cooler air as he handed me a towel. I wrapped it around myself, tying it in a knot under my arm as I walked out into the bedroom. He, on the other hand, simply ran the towel over his wet hair a couple of times and then across his chest and shoulders before throwing it to the corner of the room.

I stared at his rock solid ass as he made his way to the bed and lay down on his side.

"Come here; let me look at your hand."

I held it out to him as I sat next to him on the mattress. I was immensely glad to have his naked body to stare at, rather than the gouge in my hand. He turned my hand over a couple of times, looking at it from every angle before he sighed loudly.

"I don't think it's a good idea to try and seal this. You bit very deeply and there is still a lot of blood. I think it's too dangerous to…"

"But Edward, you just drank from my hand. How could it be more dangerous to seal it?"

"The fact that I did feed from you is why it's too dangerous baby. I only barely managed to stop and only then because I came like a freight train," he smirked.

A knock at the door pulled both our gazes to the door. I looked at him with my brows pulled together in confusion.

"Carlisle. Alice must have sent him. Go put your robe on."

I ran to the bathroom and pulled the robe from its pile in the floor. It was damp from the steam of the shower, but it felt good against my overheated skin. I picked up Edward's discarded jeans and brought them to him.

He was still buttoning them when he opened the door. Carlisle stood in the doorway, small black case in hand, looking very sheepish. He took in Edward's shirtless stance and them me on the bed in my robe. He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably before stepping into the room.

"Alice said that Bella might need me." He wouldn't meet either of our faces as he stepped into the room. Edward looked at me, both eyebrows pulled high on his forehead in amusement.

We both burst out laughing at the same time. I'm sure I blushed as he stepped to the bed and sat down. I opened my mouth to try and give him some excuse, but he held his hand up to stop me.

"Just please, don't tell me how this happened. Alice informed me that it shocked her, so I really don't want to know." He looked over his shoulder at Edward and continued, "She also said to tell you to order more room service because Bella would need to eat again."

Edward sat down beside me and kissed my temple, still chuckling.

"Welcome to the family with no secrets, love. This one should make Cullen folklore."

**Chapter Notes: Let me hear it guys. It makes me all fuzzy and warm to hear what you have to say. I am going to try my hardest to get you at least one more chapter today. But we are very near the end and I want the ending to be just right. If I can't get it out today, Monday you guys will get two.**


	37. Chapter 37The Conquering of Atlanta

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that already.**

****Laughing hysterically** It seems that I am not the only one with a thing for Vampward. Your reviews were too funny. I am shamefully behind in my responses to reviews and PMs at the moment. I promise I am going to get to each one of them. The good news is; I am behind because the 1800 word Epilogue turned into a 4000+ word chapter, and yes, you will get it today.**

**As the word "Epilogue" suggests, we are almost to the end of the journey and I have a question for you guys in the Chapter Notes at the end. Please read and let me know what you guys think in your reviews for this chap. I'd love to hear from some of you that have read all along but not reviewed. I know you're out there and I'd love your opinions too.**

Chapter 37-The Conquering of Atlanta

EPOV

"Fifteen minutes," rang through the door of the dressing room. I was the only one who even looked toward the voice as it called out.

Chip and Marcus each sat in a chair with a black leather fingerless glove in their hands. They were both trying to restitch the glove so that it would fit Bella's tiny hand. She had stolen the gloves from Felix, who apparently used them to lessen the blisters his drum sticks rubbed. She'd refused to let the bandage that covered her right hand be seen from the stage.

I smiled at the thought of that bandage as I watched her wiggle her way into a pair of very tight black leather pants. Shocked had not been even close to the right word for her stunt in the shower. It was the single most masochistic, dangerous thing I'd ever heard of anyone ever doing. And it was also the hottest most blatantly sexy thing I'd ever heard of anyone ever doing. There was no denying. And I'd heard a lot of truly deviant things over the last hundred years. The blood mixed with her words and the feeling of her body around me had been mind alteringly erotic.

I hated to admit it, but I **was** a vampire. And for a vampire, pleasure and blood were intermingled. But it was not an act I wanted her to repeat anytime soon. I'd made her promise not to do anything like that again without a little forewarning. It could have so easily turned into a disaster.

"Are you going to tell us why we are doing this?" Chip never looked up from his needle and thread as he asked her the same question for the ninth time. She'd refused to give him any details of how she'd injured her hand.

"No. Just sew," she replied distractedly. She was struggling to get the front of her pants laced up with the handicap her hand presented.

"You know I'll just ask Alice."

"Then Alice can tell you," she huffed as the leather string slipped from her fingers for the third time.

"Baby, come here. I'll do it." I was sitting on the couch, trying to stay out of the way, so that they could get her ready for the concert. Their normal routine had been disrupted by a brutal argument between JP and Bella over how tonight would work and they were all a little manic in trying to play catch up.

JP and the rest of the band had come into the tiny room to confirm that Bella and I would be recreating the entire performance from last night. She was all for the last three songs of the show, but she was vehement that "Like You" had been too intimate a moment to try and force a reproduction of. JP had not been happy and the fight broke out instantly. It had been scathing. They had screamed at each other for more than five minutes, each one trying to persuade the other that they were right.

I had to all but bite my tongue off not to step into the shouting match. I wanted so badly to intercede, but it wasn't my fight or decision. It was as against my nature to stand by quietly as it would have been to watch her wrestle a mountain lion. But I had promised her I wouldn't try to take over any part of her life, and that had been the first test.

I also had to admit, I was very proud of her as I watched them argue. The temper that had long ago been directed at me for my "double standards" and "mood swings" had been honed into a razor sharp point. She went right for the jugular with her arguments and never backed down an inch from the looming figure that stood before her.

In the end, they had agreed on a compromise. We would not be recreating the events that had played out during "Like You" but she would play my song again tonight. Then I would join them on stage for the last three songs.

"Thanks," she breathed out as she stepped between my legs in front of me. Chip had, once again, gone for broke with her costume. The top she wore was black and extremely tight. It looked like a leather vest, but it only covered her body a couple of inches below her chest, leaving the better part of her torso exposed. It too laced up. The pants that were giving her a fit did not have a button or zipper, just the tiny strings that laced together in the front. The sat so low on her, that her hip bones were visible above the edge of the leather.

I reached for the strings on the vest and the back of my hand brushed the black lace bra that pushed her breast together and created a mouth watering bit of cleavage. I couldn't help but lean forward and place an open mouthed kiss in the very center of her chest before I laced the garment together. She smiled and ran her hand through my hair as I repeated the action on her stomach before I laced the pants.

"Keep that up and none of us will make it on stage."

I wrapped my arms around her hips and hugged her tightly, laying my cheek against her stomach. Her hair tickled my neck as she leaned forward and kissed the top of my head before pulling away.

She sat at the end of the couch opposite me and pulled the knee high boots Chip had laid out for her into her lap. She pulled the first one on, zipped it up and then looked at the heel, a scowl on her face.

"Um…are you trying to get me to bust my ass in front of three thousand people or what?"

"Shut up and put them on. Alice picked them up for you this afternoon. I swear I don't know how she does it. How she found a five inch heel Christian Louboutin boot with an hour's notice is nothing short of a miracle. I swear I wish I could get her to come work with us." Chip's voice was full of affection and reverence as he spoke of my sister. Bella on the other hand, looked almost frightened at the prospect of Alice and Chip ganging up on her on a regular basis.

"Don't worry, baby, I'll protect you if they gang up on you," I chuckled as I took the other boot from her and slid it up her leg. I kissed her knee cap as I pulled the zipper up. I looked up at her to find the most beautiful smile. Her head was tilted slightly to the right and her eyes were shinning.

"Do you know how much I love you?" she asked quietly.

"Almost as much as I love you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Chip mocked us. "How long are you guys going to be like this?" His smile was amused as he looked at us and his thoughts were kind. He just enjoyed teasing Bella. "Here, try that."

He tossed her the glove and she slid it over her right hand, wincing slightly. She snapped the button around her wrist and then turned it over to look at it. There was only the slightest bulge from the bandage beneath.

"This works. Thanks Queenie."

Marcus threw the other glove to her and she secured it on her left hand as she rose from the couch. She pulled the leather back from her left ring finger slightly, allowing her ring to be seen. She walked to the small table and picked up her choker. She ran her finger over the silver outline gently and then looked at me. Her smile would have lit up the universe.

"Are you still going to wear that thing," Chip asked, sounding slightly annoyed. "You've got the man's ring on your finger. Do you really need that too?"

"Five minutes," called from the other side of the door. She looked over her shoulder at the door and then back to Chip.

"I haven't done a show without it in more than three years. I'll be lost without it." She seemed almost embarrassed to admit her confession out loud.

"I've got an idea." I rose from the couch and crossed the room to where she sat in a low chair in front of the mirror. I unsnapped the leather cuff on my wrist and knelt down in front of her. I pulled her right hand toward me and placed the cuff with our crest around her wrist. "Wear mine until we can get you one of your own, Mrs. Cullen."

She looked briefly shocked and then her eyes filled with tears. She leaned forward and kissed me, placing her hands on the sides of my face. I deepened the kiss slightly as I wound my arms around her waist. The small moan that she breathed into my mouth thrilled me.

"Thank you."

"I told you, what's mine is yours."

"Bitch, it's time." JP's voice blared from behind the wooden door seconds before he opened it. All traces of anger had vanished as he stuck his head in the small crack and looked around the room. "Aww, am I busting up a moment?" He was highly amused as he took in our position. "Eddie, dude, you spend a lot of time on your knees around her. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around."

"Oh, fuck you asshole," she shrieked at him as we stood up.

I grabbed the leather coat hanging on the hook by the door as we stepped out into the dark hallway. I walked with her to the stairs that led to the stage and slipped the coat around her shoulders. The crowd was already worked up into a frenzy and they were chanting the band's name over and over.

"You know where I'll be. And I'll meet you back here during the break." I kissed her once more before I pulled the ties to the coat around her waist.

"I love you."

"I love you too baby."

I slipped into the box with my family just as she sang the first note, Chip right behind me.

My mother reached for my hand as I leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"Where's your crest," she asked as she turned my hand over and covered it with her free hand.

"Down there," I pointed to Bella, still hidden on the darkened stage. "It's on her right wrist."

"We need to make sure she gets hers quickly." Her smile was endearing as she spoke of my wife.

"Holy shit, look at you. I never thought I would see you in combat boots," Rose smirked as she took in my appearance. Once again, I'd lost the battle with Alice. Tonight she had me in a much too tight black tee shirt, another pair of leather pants and combat boots. I felt like a fool, but had been relieved to see JP dressed similarly. On second thought, that should probably have frightened me.

"We weren't sure if you'd be up here with us or not. I know it takes a **bite** out of your time with her," Emmett snickered before I even had a chance to sit down.

I cut my eyes at Alice, who was trying desperately to contain her smile. And failing miserably.

"You didn't."

"Oh, come on Edward. You didn't really think that would stay hidden did you," she laughed.

I groaned.

Jasper grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled my head backwards over the edge of the chair. His face was inches from my own as he looked into my eyes, a very serious expression on his face. He stared at me for just a second, before he grinned widely and released my head.

"Nope, no red. Not even a little blood shot."

That seemed to be the trigger. Everyone in the room burst out laughing, my mother included. I kept my eyes locked on Bella on the stage as they laughed riotously.

"Dude, I gotta say. That's just unfucking believable. You are gonna have your hands so full when she's a newborn." Emmett could hardly get the words out he was shaking so hard with amusement.

"Forget when she's a newborn. He's got his hands full right now," Rose added, much to my chagrin. That brought on a new round of guffaws.

"Are you guys done?"

"Not even close. We've got eons to torture you about this, brother dear," Alice added.

I turned away from their snickers to watch as Bella finished the first song. She was every bit as stunning on stage tonight as she'd been the first night I saw her.

And she was mine.

My siblings finally settled down enough to watch the show. Every one of us sang along and bobbed our heads with the music. I could feel the happiness radiating off of my family as they watched our newest addition bring the audience to their knees. She was so incredible to watch. Her energy and passion was contagious.

The further into the show she got, the more boisterous my family got. When she made her way to the tower in front of us during "Taking Over Me" they went ballistic. As she climbed the stairs, we were all on our feet, clapping and cheering. Emmett, however, wolf whistled and then mimed biting his hand, earning a slap on the back of the head from me and a blush from my wife. She did a good job of not letting it throw her though. She never missed a note.

As she made her way back down the stairs, I became concerned. I smelled her blood. It had to be her hand. She had winced as she played "Imaginary" and I guessed that she had reopened the wound. I cut my eyes to Carlisle, who nodded.

"Chip, can you take Carlisle downstairs to look at her hand. She's bleeding."

He nodded and he two of them rose without another word.

I turned my head back to the stage as she began to introduce "My Last Breath".

"It's getting hot in here Atlanta. How about a song about sex to keep the temperature up."

I noticed that JP laughed at her altered introduction and that Dimitri shook his head as he smiled. But my brothers were not so discreet. Jasper threw his arm around Emmett's shoulder and the two of them smiled evilly.

"Our little boy's grown up, Em."

"You try and teach them everything you know, and then one day, they're ready to face the world." He wiped a nonexistent tear from under his eye before the two of them dissolved into hysterics.

"But I'm not sure… we told him what to do when his… his wife bites her own hand and smears the blood over his mouth," Jasper choked out between fits of laughter.

"Well, who the fuck knew we needed to teach him that."

"Enough assholes. I will dismember you two if you do this shit around Bella." My threat only encouraged more laughter from the moron twins.

She was making her way around the room in the sinful leather outfit and I was immediately pulled from my brothers' taunts. I could have watched her forever. I was really going to have to work hard to share a stage with her. For all the unnatural beauty and allure that being a vampire gave me, I had nothing on the intoxicating woman that had captured my heart.

The rest of the show progressed just as the first two nights. She had the crowd worked up into a roar by the time she finished the first set. Carlisle had not returned and I was anxious to see what his assessment of her hand was. As she sat at the piano in front of us for "Call Me When Your Sober" the smell of her blood was stronger. I noticed that each member of my family had caught the scent. But their thoughts were not teasing or even thirsty. They were concerned.

"Edward, she doesn't need to keep playing. All joking aside, her hand has got to fucking hurt," Alice whispered to me as I reached for the door that would take me back to the dressing room.

"Have you seen something?"

"No, but I know you smelled it. You know she won't say anything, but you need to take care of her."

I nodded and kissed the top of her head before I left room.

"Tell her we love her" echoed from behind me as I made my way down the stairs and behind the stage. I smiled at the unconditional love my family had for her.

I stepped into her dressing room two minutes later to find her sitting on the couch beside Carlisle. He had her hand unwrapped and it was bleeding freely. She had her head turned away from him and there were tears in her eyes as she looked at me. I immediately moved to sit beside her and wrapped my arms around her. She tucked her head into my shoulder and I felt her body relax.

"Probably not my brightest idea, huh" Her voice shook slightly.

"No probably not. But much appreciated any way. Does it hurt?"

"It does now. It was okay until I played "Imaginary". About half way through, I felt it open up again."

"I'm sorry." I looked over her shoulder to see Carlisle had a small bottle of liquid adhesive in his hand. He was closing each puncture mark carefully, but every move he made caused her to flinch from the pain.

JP stepped into the room and looked down at the three of us on the couch.

"Damn, what did you do this time? That's fucking gnarly looking."

"Nothing. It was stupid. But it hurts like a mother."

"Fuck, I bet it does. You gonna make it?"

"Yeah, I'll get through."

I pulled the thought out of his head and then looked at her. If she would agree to it, it might make the second set easier for her. But after witnessing the fight earlier, I had my doubts as to her compliance.

"If I asked you to do something, would you?"

She immediately recognized her words from this morning.

"Anything," she smirked.

"Let me play for you. I don't want you to be in pain and 'Lithium' alone is enough to split your hand open again. Let me do it, please." I looked up at her from under my lashes, hoping that I was dazzling her.

She looked distressed for a fraction of a second before she blew out her breath.

"That's really unfair. I thought I told you I needed practice resisting you before you did that. Okay, you play. Do you know 'Breathe No More'? You've only heard it a couple of times."

I nodded. I'd only needed to hear it once. It had been engrained into my memory the moment I'd heard her playing it in the hotel lounge.

"See, if you'd just listened to me earlier…," JP crowed.

"Not a fucking word asshole. I'm still not doing it your way." Her words were much nastier than her expression.

Once Carlisle had closed all the open wounds, he rebandaged her hand. He also insisted that she take a pain killer before he would let her go back out on stage.

"Please do it. Indulge your father-in-law, just this once." He leaned over and kissed her forehead lightly. When he pulled away, the tears were back in her eyes.

"What about me, Dad? Do I get a kiss too?" JP stood against the door with his best childish pout plastered over on his face.

Much to his and everyone else in the rooms, surprise; Carlisle took a few short steps and quickly pecked his cheek. The shocked look on his face was beyond hysterical and Bella nearly fell off the couch laughing.

"I swear you and Emmett must have been separated at birth. You weren't born in Tennessee in the 1920's were you?"

"Naw, South Carolina in the 1980's. But thanks for the compliment."

"It wasn't a compliment, but you're welcome anyway." He flashed a quick smile at the two of us and then headed out the door.

"I really dig you family, dude. Especially Emmett. I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."

"Lord, help us all," Chip muttered as he looked at his watch. "Guys, it's time."

We filed out of the tiny room and back toward the stage. As we stood in the wings, Bella took my hand and gently squeezed.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, but I think I'm nervous."

She kissed me quickly. "Nothing to be nervous about. You can do anything, right?"

I had to smile. She'd said the same words to my family the very first time she ever met them. It was amazing how different things were now as compared to six years ago, but I was grateful. I'd never felt more content in my life.

I took my place at the piano on the smoke filled stage and watched as she moved to the front of the stage. That was another benefit of playing with her that I'd not thought of. I had an unobstructed view of her ass for the next hour. Only draw back would be that chances were I'd have a hard on by the time we actually made it to the end of the show.

As she started the set, I was amazed at how differently the atmosphere felt from the stage. I'd not paid any attention to anything but her and her reactions last night. But you could almost physically feel the mood of the audience. The more excited they became, the harder we played. It was a strange connection to the mass of people below us, but I understood immediately how addictive performing could be.

As the set progressed, I would occasionally look up at the faces of my family. They were as drawn into the performance as the rest of the crowd. Only there was also a perceptible pride to their cheers. Esme in particular seemed to be almost bursting as she watched her youngest daughter perform.

I also came to realize that the lyrics of the songs were much easier to take when Bella sang them from just a few feet away. I missed the eye contact she made with me when I was in the audience, but being close enough to hear her heartbeat and smell her rich scent made listening to the words of pain and suffering a little more bearable.

When she got to "Like You", she sang the song facing the audience until she got to the bridge. She delivered the powerful lines that had brought us both to our knees the night before with her back to the audience and sang them to me. I felt a swell of arrogance in my chest as she proclaimed to the entire audience her love for me.

"Breathe No More" was the only awkward part of her performance, and even then it was only briefly. She'd never sang the song without playing. She was momentarily stumped with what to do with herself. But she gracefully slid herself up onto the lid of the piano and sat perfectly still. The lighting tech picked up on her cue and dimmed the lights on the stage, leaving a single spot light shining on the two of us.

Every couple of lines, she would turn her head and look at me, her expression so loving it almost hurt. I smiled like an idiot the entire way through the song.

We finished the show very much the way we had the night before and the crowd reacted, if possible, even more enthusiastically. When she stood atop the piano during "Bring Me to Life" and sang the bridge with me, I could physically feel the force of the screams that emanated from below. The sound waves were so loud, I actually felt them as they drifted over my skin and I wondered if she could feel it as well.

During "My Immortal" I was again overcome with the desire to kiss her as she looked into my eyes and sang. This would always be my favorite song of hers. Beautiful as it was, it was so much more special because she had written the song at my piano. There would never be another song that I felt that connection to and I wished I could somehow express to her how much it meant to me.

I didn't have to wait to kiss her. I stood during the bridge of the song, again, with her perched on the very edge of the lid. The second the last note left her lips, she kissed me. Passionately. I sat back down on the bench with her in my lap and we finished the song, ending it with another blistering kiss. Only this time, they left the lights up and we were on full display for the fans.

If the noise level was any indication, the crowd appreciated it very much.

Unequivocally though, the highlight of the set, for me, came as we sang "Broken." JP made his same "thanks for coming out" speech and introduced me to the crowd just as I began the first verse. When Bella joined in for the chorus, the audience went nuts. But I had the honor of introducing her to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentleman, my wife, Mrs. Bella Cullen"

I'd never had nor ever would utter more perfect words in my existence.

**Chapter Notes: Ok guys, all three shows are done and the story has one more chapter to go. It is killing me to say goodbye to EverClear and I think some of you guys are going to miss them almost as much as I will. With that said, I have an outline already in place for a sequel to this story. So, here's my question:**

**Is there any interest from you guys in continuing the saga of EverClear a little further? I can tell you this, while the drama and angst is different than in the first story, there is a definite plot that I think will keep you guys hanging as much as this one did. There is also another new character dying to be introduced and we'll see a few familiar faces as our favorite band makes its way back home to Seattle.**

**Let me know what you think about a continuation in your reviews. When I post the last chapter this afternoon, I'll let you guys know what the majority vote was.**

**Big hugs and sloppy kisses to all of you guys. **

**Kelly**


	38. Chapter 38Temporary Goodbyes

**A/N: I don't own any part of the Twilight universe, but you guys knew that already.**

*****Crying while typing*** We've reached the end of the road guys. It's really killing me to write this chapter. I cannot say thank you enough for all the incredible support you guys have shown me over the last several weeks. You have made me laugh, think, type faster than I thought possible and even cry a few times. Your kind words and support has made all the difference in the world to me and to the story.**

**Special thanks to my baby Tay for all her love and patience with me.**

**I plan on spending tomorrow answering each one of the reviews and PMs that you guys have sent me. It's important to me that you guys know how much I appreciate your input. So, I'll talk to a lot of you tomorrow.**

**You guys know what I'm looking for. One more time, scratch behind my ears and make me purr.**

**I love you guys.**

Chapter 38-Temporary Goodbyes

BPOV

I glanced at the clock on the wall of the conference room behind the stage of Blood Lust and sighed loudly.

2:38am

I was going to have to become a vampire to keep up the schedule I'd had the last four days. Sleep, never very peaceful or restful, had become almost nonexistent in the last few days. I was thrilled as to the reasons why, but eventually it was going to catch up with me.

"JP, pass me the crab rolls."

"Um, that would be 'no'." He was being a shit, just to be one. I told myself not to take the bait, but…

"Come on, please. You don't even like them," I tried in my best pleading voice.

"Not a chance. And you're right, I don't like them, but I'm gonna eat every single one of them. You should have shared your eggs with me this morning," he further goaded.

Reluctantly, I placed my tray of fried rice and California rolls down beside me and launched myself across the small space that separated us. I landed on him where he sat on the couch opposite from me. Unfortunately, I didn't really stand a chance, even as I tickled him. He was squirming and laughing, but his left arm was locked around me holding me in place and he held the tray of crab and avocado that called to me in his right hand high above his head. No matter how I moved or where my fingers tickled, I couldn't reach the sushi.

"Bitch, you weigh like twelve pounds. No way are you getting it."

I heard the laughter from all sides as I tried to shove my knee into his stomach. Mercifully, Emmett came to my rescue. He rose off the couch where he sat between JP and Rose and walked around behind the sofa. He plucked the tray from his hands with no resistance at all.

"Give her the food. She needs it more than your tape worm infected ass." I looked up to smile at my brother only to gasp as he hooked his arm around my waist. He crossed the room in three long strides with me dangling, bent in half with my head even with my knees, from his hand. I could feel him laughing as we approached Edward, his legs stretched out in front of him as he leaned against the sofa that Jasper, Alice and Dimitri were sitting on.

"I think this belongs to you," he chuckled as he dropped me into Edward's outstretched arms. In one motion, he righted me and placed me back into his lap. I crossed my legs Indian style and settled back into the only seat I had any interest in occupying.

Emmett brought the tray to his face and inhaled deeply. I howled at the look of disgust on his face as he turned away from the Japanese rolls that I was now salivating for. With the look of horror still firmly in place, he faced Chip and Marcus, who were side by side in an overstuffed chair next to Alice's spot on the couch behind me.

"I thought EverClear was doing pretty good?"

"They are, why?" Chip looked confused by the question as he looked up at the towering figure of my teddy bear brother in law.

"Will you please explain to me then why they won't pay to have someone cook their food? Honestly, this shit is nasty even for human food." He finally handed me the tray and I immediately popped a whole piece into my mouth.

The chuckles rang out from all around the room. Even Carlisle shook his head with laughter.

"Thank you Emmett," I rasped out as I tried to chew the much too big slice.

"Just don't breath on me until after you've brushed your teeth please. That smells like ass of bear."

"You'd know wouldn't you," I retorted, earning another round of laughter. Dimitri and JP were completely at ease with the reference, but I noticed that Felix looked slightly concerned, even as he shook slightly with laughter

Edward's arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me further up his legs until my back touched his chest. The coolness of his body felt wonderful through the cotton of the tee shirt that I'd taken from his bag this afternoon. I leaned my head back against his shoulder and felt him brush my hair away from my right shoulder. His icy breath fanned across my neck as he leaned forward, his lips brushing my ear slightly.

"How's your hand? Still hurting?" His fingertips glided up and down my thighs, leaving goose bumps where he touched my bare skin, as he spoke. Rather than the shorts that Chip had packed for me to change into after the show, I'd put on the black boxer shorts that I'd literally stolen off his body an hour ago and every few strokes, he'd slip his hands just barely under the edge of the fabric.

"No, but whatever Carlisle gave me earlier is messing with me. It might actually hurt, but I'm too stoned to care." I closed my eyes and concentrated on his fingers as they continued up and down my legs. "But if you keep doing that, we're going to have to go back to the dressing room."

"That's kind of the idea," he whispered against my hair. "As good as you look in my clothes; I like you even better out of them."

"Will you two stop! Damn Edward, let the girl eat," Alice giggled and lightly smacked the back of his head. "I swear you're acting like you're seventeen years old."

"I am, technically anyway."

Chip cleared his throat and I smiled sheepishly at him.

"So what's the plan? Are both of you going on the bus with us in the morning, or are you taking his car?" Once again, the master of diversion had completely derailed our less than publicly appropriate conversation.

"No, we'll be on the bus. Emmett and Rose are going to take the Volvo back to Oregon with them," Edward answered for me. I had no idea when they had discussed the details, and frankly I didn't much care, as long as we would be together.

Emmett clapped his hands together loudly and rubbed them together, looking an awful lot like Mr. Myagi from the Karate Kid movies. His grin was maniacal.

"World's largest ball of twine, here we come."

"Like hell. Don't even think about dragging me half way across the country to see every ridiculous tourist trap you can think of," Rosalie hissed at him. Her voice was ominous, but the look on her face told me that she would go just about anywhere he wanted her to.

"Um, can I ask a question without pissing any of you guys off? I'm not trying to be a dick, but I'm curious." Felix asked in an embarrassed tone of voice. He was looking at Edward as he spoke and Edward nodded his head, indicating for him to proceed.

"So, are we gonna need to keep…things…on the bus now for you? I mean, how does it work when you get hungry? Do we need to keep snacks for you, like we keep trail mix and jelly beans for us?" Felix, with all his tattoos and his waist length jet black hair looked like a little kid as he tried to ask Edward about his diet. It was so sweet and so unsettling at the same time.

"I think what my man here is saying is do we need to keep a refrigerator full of dead rabbits or mice so that you don't drain us in the middle of the night?" JP was highly amused at the conversation and by the look on his face he was going to drag this on as long as possible. He knew good and well what the answer to Felix's question was, but his evil sense of humor obviously couldn't pass up the opportunity to torture Edward a little.

"Jesus, JP, he's not a boa constrictor," Dimitri choked out, fried rice spewing out of his mouth in surprise of his ridiculous statement.

The laughter that exploded was too much not to get lost in. Everyone, vampire and human alike, was rolling and clutching their sides at JP's insane sense of humor. I was shocked to feel Edward laughing beneath me. He wiped a nonexistent tear from his eye as he looked at Felix.

"No, man, its fine. I don't actually get hungry; thirsty would be a better description. And when I need to, I'll just disappear for a few hours and hunt. So, no, no need to keep snacks for me. And the only one in danger of me draining them in the middle of the night is JP, unless he finds a new nickname for my wife."

Felix let a small, uncomfortable laugh as he nodded toward Edward. Jasper was still laughing under his breath. JP, however, was apparently not ready to let it drop.

"So answer this. Hypothetically, if we have a cat on the bus, like a mascot kind of thing, and we're driving through the desert and you're starving with no where to hunt…would you eat the cat?"

"Yeah, Eddie, would you eat the pussy?" Emmett laid his head in Rose's lap as he howled, whether at his own lame joke or JP's I wasn't be sure. Either way, I felt the blush creeping up the back of my neck at his crude words.

Chip and Marcus were holding on to each other as they tried to contain their laughter. I looked over my shoulder again and Edward was shaking his head, smiling.

EPOV

Good grief, how in the hell did we get into this conversation. The absurdity of it was laughable. I felt bad for Felix. He was the least comfortable around us and he was honestly asking a question. JP on the other hand, well, he was just trying to make me squirm. So I decided that the best course of action would be to not give him the satisfaction and just play along.

"Well, whose cat is it?" I tried to keep a straight face as I looked at him. Bella was laughing so hard her plate had slid out of her hand. I tightened my arm around her to keep her pulled against me and to keep her knee from dipping into the hideous green paste that she'd had on her plate.

"Bella's."

"Oh, that's easy," Jasper answered JP. "If its Bella's cat, he'd buy it a solid gold litter box and hire someone to feed the thing sardines all day long."

I chuckled as I nodded my head. That was probably true.

"Ok, Chip's then." He looked at me expectantly for the answer.

"No, I wouldn't eat Chip's cat. Now if the animal was deranged enough to be your's, then the thing is history."

Alice actually did roll of the couch she was sitting on with a thud. She lay beside Bella and me and clutched Bella's leg, nearly pulling her off my lap, as she laughed.

"Dude, that's harsh. First you won't let me eat anything, then you tell me you're gonna drain me and now you're gonna kill my cat? What have I done to piss you off?" His face was full of mock indignance, but his thoughts told me he was having a ball. There was a strange sort of brotherly tenor in his mind that made me very happy. He was an important part of Bella's life, and now mine, and I was glad that he seemed to have accepted me. It was a hundred and eighty degree turnaround from our first meeting.

It took a full ten minutes for the giggles and snorts to finally die out. The band was running on fumes at this point and I knew we were going to have to break up the party soon. The sound of hammers and power tools continued at a steady pace from the large room as the stage was dismantled. The crew worked with the precision of a surgeon as they systematically broke apart the ramps and instruments. It was obvious they were very practiced at their jobs and within the hour, the large room that had changed my life so dramatically would once again be just an empty space waiting for the next band to arrive.

I watched amused as Bella tried to sweep away the spilled contents of her plate. After just a couple of tries, she abandoned the plate and picked up the tray Emmett had claimed for her. I noticed as she moved the food around, apparently trying to pick out the piece she wanted, that she was humming.

The melody was something I'd never heard. It had an intriguing rhythm to it. She hummed the same notes over and over, each repetition changing just slightly, building on each pass.

"What is that, baby? I've never heard it."

She looked startled that anyone had heard her. Her eyes were wide for a second and then she smiled bashfully at me before kissing me quickly.

"I don't know. It's just been in my head for a couple of days."

I was amazed as the members of EverClear all turned their heads toward her. There was a look of utter concentration on their faces as they stared at her. JP put his plate down and folded his hands between his knees as he inched forward on the sofa cushion.

"Do it again," he said seriously and quietly. He looked at the floor, his brows pulled together as she hummed the notes a little more loudly. "Again."

I was dumbstruck as I realized what I was witnessing. A new song. There was a new song floating around in her frustratingly silent head. I closed my eyes as I listened to her repeat the melody. The room had gone silent. She repeated it three more times before she stopped. I opened my eyes and JP was staring at her, a huge grin on his face.

"That's good. We need to sit down tomorrow on the bus and work it out a little more. You can hear the bass line in your head, can't you?" He was all business as he spoke.

She nodded her head and chuckled slightly. It was fascinating to watch. The two of them seemed to be thinking in tandem. I could not wait to see where this went. As I replayed the tune in my memory, a very simple harmony began to mix with the original notes.

"How did you know that?" Emmett asked JP. "About the bass line?"

"When she hears a bass line, she wiggles her fingers. When she hears the piano of a song, she actually plays it on her lap. I know what to look for after four years. She's kind of an open book sometimes."

"That is so cool. What's the song about?" Emmett looked slightly awed as he looked at Bella, who was blushing with the attention that was now centered on her.

"I don't have any lyrics yet. Those usually come later."

The wicked smile that crossed JP's face instantly made me nervous. He sat back against the cushion and looked at the two of us very seriously, his finger pointed to us like a school teacher.

"Let's get one thing clear right now. I am not, repeat, not, putting out an entire album about Eddie's magic peen. Got it? I'll give you one sex song, two if it's really good. But that's it."

I actually fell over, taking Bella with me, laughing so hard. The roar of the room was almost as loud as when it had been filled with three thousand people. I could feel the heat radiating off Bella's body as she blushed furiously. Jasper did nothing to quell the laughter, instead opting to increase the out of control hysterics by giving in to his own hilarity.

"I promise…snort…no magic…no magic peen songs," Bella choked out as she rolled onto her back laughing. "I cannot believe you said that out loud." The tears poured from her eyes. Alice was convulsing she laughed so hard. Chip had laughed so violently at his words, his nose was running profusely and he couldn't control himself enough to stop it.

"Oh, my God…you are such a fool," Emmett cackled as he leaned his giant head over on JP's shoulder and clasped his arm around his back. "I am so going to miss you." He chuckled a couple more times before he looked over at Bella, who was still rolling on the floor. "Hey, I've got the title for you're song. 'Love Bites'!" He fell over into a heap as he laughed.

"Naw, man. Judas Priest and Def Leopard already did that," JP answered as seriously as possible. Emmett shook his head and waved JP toward him. He leaned over and whispered in his ear and I was sure I knew what he was telling him. JP's eyes got wider with every word and he looked in astonishment between Bella and me. "That is seriously fucking twisted Bitch."

My poor Bella hid her face in her hands, which of course only drew attention to the bandage around her hand. I wanted to be sympathetic and not laugh, but with Jasper all but unhinged with laughter, it was impossible.

Carlisle was the first to regain any semblance of composure. He stood from his seat beside my mother and looked around at the chaos. He smiled to himself before he nudged Jasper with his foot. Esme stood beside him, shoulders still heaving.

"Kids, we really should let them get some sleep. And we have a flight to catch tomorrow. Alice, we will not wait for you to get packed, if you miss the flight, you're on your own." The room instantly grew quiet as we all realized that it was time to say goodbye.

"Aw, dad, five more minutes," JP whined to him, which sent Emmett into yet another round of giggles.

My father crossed the room and offered his hand to Chip. "Good luck, I think you're going to need it."

Chip took his hand as he pulled himself out of the chair and the two men embraced. Marcus quickly followed suit and hugged Esme.

"You have no idea," Chip retorted.

"Where are you guys headed from here?"

"Well, we have two days in Daytona, two in Miami then we head west. They have several shows in Texas where they'll meet up with another band for a ten day run. We have a video to shoot and a couple of interviews. Then on to Vegas, LA, San Francisco and they'll finish up in Seattle on Halloween."

"That's quite a full schedule. You're going to need more than luck." Carlisle fished in his pocket and drew a small business card out. He handed it to Chip and clasped his hand on his shoulder. "You have my cell number, but if I am unavailable and you need anything, just call this number. Anything we can help with; transportation, lodging, vehicles…whatever you might need, just let us know and it's yours."

I knew the card was for Pacific Northwest Trust even before I saw the small rectangle in Chip's mind. Carlisle had essentially just given Chip a blank check for whatever they might need to make the remainder of the tour as easy as possible.

"Thank you Carlisle, that's very nice." He kissed Esme on both cheeks before he turned to face Alice, who had at least pulled herself together enough to sit up.

She stood immediately and embraced Chip tightly. They rocked back and forth slightly before they leaned back and looked at each other.

"You sure I can't tempt you?" Chip asked her.

"Not immediately, but I won't stay away long. I promise. Rose and I have a little excursion planned next week in New York, but I may catch up with you after that. Take care of them for me." She looked down at Bella, who was sitting on the arm of the couch watching the scene, tears quietly streaming down her eyes.

Chip and Alice reached their arms out toward her at the same time and folded her into their embrace.

"Alice, I just got you back. I don't want to let go yet," she sniffled.

"Bella, I'm not letting you go. I'll talk to you everyday and I will see you very soon, I promise." My sister kissed her and then released her to my parents, who stood on either side of her and completely surrounded her with their hugs. She leaned her head against Esme's shoulder and Carlisle leaned forward and placed his head on the top of her head.

"Take care of yourself, sweetheart. We love you and we'll talk to you very soon," my mother whispered. Bella just nodded her head, never opening her eyes.

"Will you guys come to Seattle for the last show?"

"We wouldn't miss it," my father answered.

She inhaled once very deeply and then broke away from the hug. Wiping her eyes, she walked back over to me, nestling herself into my arms.

"So who are you guys hooking up with in Texas? Anyone we might know," Emmett asked. His voice was calm, but he was dreading the goodbye that was nearing.

"EMD. They're on the same label. Pretty good, but they can be a pain in the ass. Especially…" JP's voice broke off as he looked to Bella. She had stiffened immediately upon hearing the name of the band. JP's mind threw an image of a man with very long brown hair on stage thrashing around.

"Oh, no. We aren't spending two weeks with them are we?" Felix groaned. I noticed that Dimitri didn't look any more pleased than the rest of them.

"What am I missing?" I asked the room at large. It was Dimitri that answered me.

"EMD are very talented. Hard core musicians. But their lead singer, Sebastian, is an enormous ass. Thinks the world is his for the taking." He cut his eyes at Bella as he continued. "And he is fixated on your wife."

Fury burned through me as I heard the words. Bella's hand gently rubbed back and forth across my forearm wrapped around her. She leaned her head against my shoulder and whispered "yours" into my neck. She knew me well.

"Sounds like someone I need to have a chat with," Emmett huffed. He was no more thrilled with the prospect of someone else chasing after Bella than I was. I gave him a small nod in thanks for the sentiment.

"Sebastian's odd. Honestly, he's the kind of guy you think about going postal when he gets fired from his job." It was the most serious I'd ever seen JP, except for his tirade at me the first night. The warning bells in my head were ringing furiously.

"Just slap the shit out of him and show him your wedding ring," Rose suggested as she grasped Bella's hand. She leaned over and gave us both a quick kiss on the cheek and then walked back to Emmett. She didn't want to say the word "goodbye" to her new sister.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it right now, so no point in worrying about it. You guys have got to get some sleep. We roll out at noon. Has everyone got all their shit from the dressing rooms?" Chip had gone into full work mode again. Everyone in the room was now standing and making their way down the hallway toward the rear entrance of the club where the bus was waiting.

Bella was leaning heavily into my side, my arm wrapped around her shoulders. I didn't need to read her mind to know what she was thinking. Her face gave it all away. It broke my heart to see her so unhappy and I wished that I could take the pain away.

"It's okay, love. We'll see everyone soon. Probably sooner than we'd like."

"I know. I just wish we had a few more days. After everything that's happened, I just don't want to let go. I feel like if we leave Atlanta, the clock will strike midnight and the coach will turn back into a pumpkin."

I stopped and turned to face her. Her tears ran down her cheeks in a steady stream. I wiped them away with my thumbs and I felt the muscles in her jaw relax lightly.

"Baby, they are your family too. They aren't going to disappear. And neither am I. It's you and me forever."

She smiled a quick smile and leaned into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and swayed us back and forth, almost as if we were dancing to music that existed only for us.

"I love you."

"I love you too," she grinned up at me. "We better get going or Chip will have our asses."

As she turned and took a step toward the door, I grabbed her rear with both hands. The startled squeak she let out was betrayed by the rapid acceleration of her heart. She leaned back into me, arching her back slightly.

"The only one that can have your ass is me. And I fully intend to have it again before we leave the great state of Georgia." I bent my head and ran the tip of my tongue along the outside edge of her ear.

"Now! Your holding us up," Chip yelled from outside.

"I'm really starting to not like him," I huffed.

We stepped out into the alleyway, hand in hand, to see our family and Chip waiting for us. Before anyone had the chance to speak, JP stuck his head out of the open door of the bus.

"We have several empty seats in here. Anyone want to come with us?" He was smiling like an insane clown as he looked at us and wagged his eyebrow up and down.

To my horror, Emmett and Jasper both grinned like fools. They each looked at their wives, silently begging permission to go play. Alice simply laughed and kissed Jasper on the cheek. Rose glared menacingly at Emmett and then cut her eyes at the bus.

"Do not make me regret this Emmett Cullen. If I get one single report of you acting like an ass, you will have to answer to me. Do you understand?"

"I'll behave, I promise Rosie." He kissed her very quickly and turned to face Bella and me. The leer on his face was more than slightly concerning. He scooped Bella up into his arms and flew to the open door, her shrieking and laughing with every step.

Jasper and I followed, leaving the remainder of our family in the dark street with Chip, who was shaking his head.

"God help us all. EverClear has been revamped."

**Chapter Notes: I would love to hear any ideas you have for the sequel (if I use it, you will of course get full credit as co-author). I have the outline done, but if there are any specific things you'd like to see happen, send me a PM. I think it would be fun to make the story kind of interactive. You guys suggest scenes or interactions that you'd like to see and then I give it to you. Almost like you guys are building the story. I also need 4-5 songs to finish out the story. If you guys have any suggestion, I'd love to hear them.**

**If you don't have me set to Favorite Author, go ahead and do so. You guys know I write like I'm possessed when the ideas start to flow, so I don't think I'll be gone more than a couple of weeks.**

**Big giant hugs and kisses to all of you guys. See you soon.**

**Kelly**


	39. Chapter 39

**Hello, my loyal groupies!!!**

**I had told myself that I was going to take an entire week before I started writing the sequel, but I apparently have no self-control what so ever. I am six chapters into it as of last night.**

**But I need a little assistance from you guys, please?**

**Let me answer a couple of questions you guys sent me first:**

**Yes, EMD is going to be based on another band. If you're curious as to who, send me a PM and I'll let you know. But I don't want to spoil it for those of you that want it to be a surprise.**

**Yes, we will see EverClear on the road and all the adventures that go along with them. There is also a fair bit of new music (no shock there, lots of inspiring events in the recent past of our favorite couple). But this is not going to be an entire story about funny incidents. **

**Yes, we will meet one more original character, Sebastian. But no, this will not be the typical love triangle (remember, I said he was "fixated" on our girl, not in love with). You guys don't think I would take the easy way out do you?**

**So here is the purpose of the posting. I am having a problem nailing down the perfect song for Edward to write/play for Bella. I want it to be in the same vein as EverClear's music. I need a song with a male lead, slightly deeper tone to his voice with very romantic/sweet words and it would make me purr (you know how much I like to purr) if it had a strong piano line. But I don't want to go all cheesy. This is proving to be a much more difficult thing to nail down than I had anticipated.**

**So, I am begging for suggestions. You guys have always come through with flying colors**. ** I know you're up for the challenge. If the story keeps flowing the way it has for the last couple of days, I should be ready to start posting before June 1.**

**Thanks and I'll talk to you soon, **

**Kelly**

**PS-I am still working on getting back to everyone that reviewed. It is important to me to let each of you know how special your reviews and comments are to me, so if you haven't heard from me yet…I promise its coming.**


	40. Chapter 40Sequel

Hey guys!!!

For everyone that has EverClear set up as a Fav but forgot to set me as a favorite author, just wanted to let you know that Chapter 1 of the sequel is up.

EverClear Revamped

(I'm not lovin' the title, so any suggestions would be welcomed.)

Let me know what you think!!

Kelly


	41. Chapter 41Teaser

**I'm back!!! And so is your favorite band! **

**So glad to see you all again. This is kind of a teaser but not really…lol. I have just posted the first of three one-shot prequels to EverClear. The title of the story is "The March Toward Atlanta". So this is just to let you all know it's out there, in case you don't have me on alert as an author.**

**I decided to do these as a way to raise the awareness of the upcoming Fandom Gives Back, Eclipse Edition charity auction. The first auction rose over $80k for Alex's Lemonade Stand and we fully expect to break that mark with this year's auction.**

**I am going to be offering up 3 one-shot stories of the purchaser's choice for EverClear. Any scene, any character or combination of characters is up for grabs. I know there are things you guys wanted to see but didn't in the original stories. So this will be your opportunity. Just tell me what you want….and it's yours!**

**But to wet the EverClear groupies' appetites a little, I am going to give you a small taste of what you can "buy" at the auction.**

**So just click over, read and then tell me what you guys think.**

**Love ya and missed you all!**

**Kelly**


	42. Chapter 42

***Waving manically***

Hi guys! I have missed you guys something terrible! It feels so good to type this out and know that all the EverClear groupies are still out there.

If you have already gotten an alert, then I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Ignore the rest of this note because you already know what I'm going to say.

If you haven't got me on Author Alert, then let me update you. I posted a new out-take in The March Toward Atlanta. It's an outtake that was requested by a groupie and was written to her exact specifications. But I think you'll like it anyway.

What I think you'll like even more is the little love letter at the end of the outtake. So hop on over, read the newest entry into the EverClear universe and I'll see you very soon.

Love ya!

Kelly


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